Possession of Grace
by Jessica B
Summary: Sam and Dean are tracking a demon. When they meet the girl the demon is possessing, things take an unexpected turn. (Dean/OFC) A/N: please review... Good or bad. I appreciate any feedback.
1. Chapter 1

Sam and Dean had been chasing this demon for a week, following a trail of dead bodies across Arkansas. Sam had picked up on its omens and they were tracking it, hoping to get just one step ahead of it before it claimed another victim. They finally caught on to a pattern with the victims and had a general idea where the demon was headed. They were right. They had been cruising through town on the look out when they caught a flash of black eyes from a woman going into a Starbucks. They parked the Impala across the street and waited for her to come back out.

Before they tracked the demon down, Castiel had come around long enough to tell Dean that this was no average demon. She reported directly to a high-level demon with some sinister plans, but he didn't know what those plans were. Sam and Dean decided to see what kind of information they could get out of her. They found an abandoned, rundown place in the middle of nowhere and went to work getting it set up with devil's traps and protective symbols.

Now, an hour and a half away, they watched as the demon exited the coffee house and turned down an alley.

Dean grabbed his keys and started climbing out of the car.

"Let's go."

A few cuts and bruises, and a couple of hours later they had the demon secure in the devil's trap. The first few minutes went as expected: insults flew, people were told to go to Hell, and the boys were no closer to getting any information. So, Dean turned to methods that had proven successful in the past. A few well-placed cuts with the demon knife, soaked in holy water, got the demon writhing in her seat. Still no information, but Dean knew the demon couldn't stand much more.

"How about you tell me your name now?"

"I think you'd rather know the name of the person in here with me, wouldn't you?" the demon asked with a smarmy smile.

"Okay, fine. That's a start. What's her name?"

"Nooo... I'll let you meet her yourself."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other as the girl's eyes went black, then faded and closed. They heard a faint groaning as she started to wake up. She lifted her head with her eyes wide. Her mouth was open, but no sound came past her busted lip.

Sam got down on his knees next to the chair.

"Hey. It's okay."

"Pain...," she finally managed to croak out, half crying.

Dean lowered himself on the other side of the chair.

"I know you're in pain, and I'm sorry... But you've been possessed by a very bad demon."

"I know." Tears were streaming down her face now. "It's made me stay conscious for some if it... Why am I hurting so much?"

Dean looked at Sam before answering. "We've been trying to get information from this demon. We think it knows about something big that could cause a lot of people to get hurt. The only way to get to a demon is to go through the person it's possessing."

Sam jumped in, "What's your name?"

"Grace."

Dean couldn't help but notice the irony of a girl named "Grace" being possessed.

Grace was finally able to focus more on the situation. She looked at her legs and arms, cut and bleeding. She tasted the blood on her lip.

"You've been torturing me?"

Dean picked up again, "Yes... Technically."

She looked up at Sam, then her eyes shot toward Dean. They were wide, with what Dean thought looked like surprise, but the look quickly faded and she spoke again.

"Will it help?"

"Will what help?" Dean asked.

"If you torture me, will it help you stop these things?"

"It could."

"But we can't be sure." Sam added. "It depends on what kind of information it gives up."

Grace started breathing heavy, her breaths coming faster.

Sam and Dean got up and took step back.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked.

"The demon is trying to take over again. It's afraid."

Her breathing got heavier.

"Finish what you started."

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. "It's only going to get worse, and the demon could keep you conscious."

"Do it! Send this bitch back to Hell when you're done. Just try not to kill me... And I'd like to be able to function when you're done, Dean."

Dean blinked, "How do you know my name?"

But Dean didn't get an answer. Grace's eyes went black again.

"It's not nice to plot against me with my own puppet."

Dean grinned, "Your 'puppet' said something very interesting."

"What's that?"

"You're afraid."

Dean turned around and picked up his next torture tool. He looked at Sam, who nodded his approval. Grace had agreed to this. Dean would be as careful as he could, but he had to get any information this demon had. And it had to know something, or it wouldn't have gotten scared when Grace started to consider going through with the torture. The demon hadn't expected that.

Dean walked over to the demon.

"Let's find out why you're so afraid, shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

The Impala screeched to a stop, and Sam and Dean both jumped out heading toward the back seat when a hospital worker called out.

"You can't park there! Ambulances unload emergency patients there."

"This is an emergency!" Dean shouted back as Sam lifted Grace from the back seat.

"You still can't park there..."

Dean flashed his fake FBI badge, but the worker wouldn't give.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you still have to move your car."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned to Sam. "Bring her inside and get her help. I'm going to move the car."

As he turned back to the car he glared at the worker, then begrudgingly moved to the parking lot. Once Dean made it inside he found Sam sitting in the waiting area.

"Where is she?"

"They took her into the back."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"They wouldn't let me go back there."

"Did you tell them you're FBI?"

"Yep, flashed the badge and everything."

Dean was becoming more frustrated by the minute. He walked over to the desk and slammed his badge down. The woman behind the counter jumped, but she rolled her eyes when she saw the badge.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I've already told the other agent that you are not allowed in the back. A doctor will be out to talk to you soon."

"I also happen to be her fiancé!"

Sam stood up at hearing that. He slowly walked over to the desk, trying to hide the surprised look on his face. The nurse took on a more sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll see if I can get someone to come out and talk to you."

"Yeah, you do that."

As she got up and walked away Dean turned back toward Sam.

"Her fiancé, Dean?"

"Family, Sammy. They let family in sooner."

"So, you couldn't be her brother?"

Dean shrugged, "I don't know, man, it just came out. Fiancé will probably get more sympathy anyway."

The woman returned to the desk a moment later.

"Sir, a doctor will be out in just a few minutes to talk with you."

Dean nodded and headed back over to the seats, with Sam right behind him. Five minutes later the doctor came through the doors. He stopped at the desk where the woman pointed over to Dean. Sam noticed and nudged Dean's arm, pointing to the doctor. Dean looked over and stood up. The doctor extended his hand to Dean.

"I'm Dr. Kline."

"Dean."

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'm told you are her fiancé, and also FBI?"

"That's right," Dean said showing the doctor his badge. "How is she?"

"Well, I won't lie. She was beaten pretty badly. It looks like she was tortured. Lots of cuts all over her body. Some superficial, but some very deep."

"Is she okay?!"

"She's doing okay now. Her blood pressure was falling. She had some blood loss and her body was in shock, but she's stable now. By some miracle she's actually awake. She asked for you."

Dean perked up. "That's great! When can we see her?"

The doctor glanced quickly at Sam. "As her fiancé, you can see her as soon as I ask you a few questions, but your partner will have to wait out here until we're sure she remains stable."

"That's fine, as long as Dean gets to see her," Sam said quickly before Dean could protest. "What questions do you have?"

"Well, I was wondering if you had any idea what happened to her?"

"We honestly don't know," Dean lied. "She was supposed to meet me for lunch and she never showed up. I couldn't get her on her phone. I checked with her office and they told me she had already left. After an hour passed and I still couldn't get her on the phone I called my partner here and we started looking for her. It's just not like her to disappear like that. When we found her..."

Dean stopped, remembering what he'd done to the poor girl that put her in the hospital. He dropped his head down, and Sam took over the story.

"She was passed out in a car on the side of a back road off of the highway. She tried to talk a few times on the way here, but we told her not to try. She was in and out of consciousness."

The doctor nodded, "I assume the FBI will be investigating this one?"

"You bet your ass, doc," Dean said.

"Okay. Come with me. I'll take you back to see her."

Sam headed back to the waiting area. Dean looked back at him as he followed the doctor to see Grace.


	3. Chapter 3

As they walked to Grace's room Dr. Kline filled Dean in on what was done to stabilize her. Dean only half listened. He didn't really understand much of what the doctor was talking about, and images of Grace, beaten and tortured by his hands, kept popping up into his brain. It didn't matter that it had to be done. It didn't matter that Grace had told him to do it. He put this girl in the hospital. He would make sure she was okay. Dean didn't say much as they walked. He nodded along as Dr. Kline spoke.

"As I said before, she is awake. We have her on pain killers, but not enough to knock her out. When I found she was staying awake, I wanted to keep her that way. It helps us monitor her better when we can actually ask her how she's feeling. We'll give her a little more to help her sleep later."

"Has she said anything about what happened to her?"

"No. She tried to talk a bit, but I suggested to her that she save her strength. Besides, there wasn't much she could say that would help me treat her, and I knew she would have to talk to the cops... or, in this case, the FBI," he said, motioning to Dean. "At one point she asked, 'Where's Dean?' I asked her who 'Dean' is, but she just repeated the name. Now, of course, I know that's you. It should do her good to see you."

Dean wondered. How would she react to seeing the man who tortured her? He wondered how much she actually experienced. Did the demon have her on full lockdown, or did it keep her just conscious enough to see and feel the pain?

"I do suggest not asking her about her experience just yet. I know you guys like to get details while they are fresh on the victim's mind, but this had to be a very traumatic experience. It's in her best interest to wait until we are sure she is stable."

Dean nodded, "I understand."

When they reached Grace's room Dr. Kline knocked, then entered. Dean followed him in, and he was immediately hit with the image of Grace. She was hooked up to an IV, and a tube ran just under her nose for oxygen. She was bruised. More bruised than he remembered. Her lip was split and swollen where he'd punched her... that was before he'd actually met her. He had just been trying to catch a demon at that point. Her arms were above the covers, full of the cuts that he had inflicted on her. The sight hit him hard. He almost turned and walked back out of the room, but Grace was awake and her eyes were locked on his. She was actually smiling.

"Dean..."

Dr. Kline quickly checked the monitors after walking in, the went to Grace's side.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better."

"Is the pain medication working?"

"It's taking care of the worst part. I still feel very sore."

"Then the medication is working. We'll give you more later to help you sleep."

Grace nodded and Dr. Kline left the room, closing the door behind him. There was a window that led out to the hall. Dean closed the blinds, then pulled a chair next to Grace's bed. He wasn't sure what to say. What can you say to the person you tortured?

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"How can I not apologize? Look what I did to you."

"I agreed to it."

"Only because that demon let you out for a minute. I'd have done it even if you hadn't been able to give your permission."

"So then why apologize? You did what you had to do."

Dean looked away and rubbed his hand over his face.

"Doc said you really shouldn't talk about any of this right now, so how about we change the subject?"

"Fine... where's Sam?"

Dean stared at her with a confused look on his face.

"Okay, why don't we talk about that?"

"What?"

"How you know our names. You said my name before that demon took control of you again, and now you ask about Sam. We never told you who we are, so how do you know?"

"The demon knew you."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Of course it did."

"Whenever I was conscious of what was going on, I could see the demon's thoughts. It knew you and Sam pretty well. It seemed to be particularly interested in you."

Dean smiled, "Most people who know me are."

"I got to see some of what they were planning. That's why I gave you permission to do what you did. They have to be stopped, and I knew you'd get the job done. That demon really didn't like you."

She grinned at Dean, who returned the gesture, but her smile slowly faded.

"Did you at least get what you were looking for?"

"Yeah, we got some information... we just don't know how much of it is true."

"Maybe I can help with that. I can at least verify what I saw."

Dean nodded, "That sounds good... but not now. Doctor's orders."

Dean leaned back in the chair. Grace stared at her hands in her lap. Neither spoke for a while, trying to figure out what to say next. Then Grace looked up.

"I'm surprised they let you in here. I mean, I'm glad they did... you probably saved my life. I just didn't think they would let you in."

"Yeah, about that... I told them I was your fiancé."

Grace's raised her eyebrows. "Oh..."

"Sam tried the FBI route, but that didn't help. So, I told them I was also your fiancé. That got us some cooperation."

"Well, I'm glad you told me. I need to know that in case someone brings it up."

Dean shrugged, "Honestly, I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I was just trying to get back here to make sure you're okay."

He stood and walked over to the window to look outside.

"Dean, it's..."

"Is there anyone you need us to call?" He cut her off. He didn't want to hear that it was okay, or that it wasn't his fault she was laying there.

She paused for a minute. "No."

"Parents, siblings, boyfriend?"

"No..."

"Girlfriend?" Dean smiled.

Grace chuckled and shook her head. "No."

He sat back down in the chair next to Grace's bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Friends?"

"Honestly? No. None close enough that I would put through this."

She saw a look of concern on Dean's face, so she told him a little of her story.

"I'm an only child. My parents didn't have any siblings either. They died in a car accident a few years ago. I've always been a bit of a loner. I have friends, but none that I'm really close to... mostly co-workers. I spend a lot of time by myself."

There was a knock at the door, and then a nurse walked in.

"How are you feeling?"

"She's been better," Dean answered, using her words to the doctor earlier. Grace smiled at him, and he winked.

"Well, we'll fix that," the nurse smiled. "I'm going to increase your pain meds so you can get a good night's sleep. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Grace said. And she meant it. She really was very sore.

The nurse looked at Dean, "You're the fiancé, right?"

"Right."

"Will you be spending the night here? I can get a roll away bed for you."

"Really?" He looked at Grace. "Okay, yeah. I'll stay the night."

Grace shook her head, "Dean, you don't have to stay." Then, to keep up the fiancé charade she added, "I'll just be sleeping. Why don't you go home and get some sleep too. You have to work tomorrow."

Dean walked over to her bed and put his hands on the side rails, which were down.

"I'm staying. And I'm taking tomorrow off."

Grace put her hand on Dean's, and he took it in his and gave it a light squeeze.

"I'm gonna go talk to Sam. There's no reason for him to stay. Be back in a minute."

Dean closed the door behind him as he left the room, heading to the waiting area. The nurse smiled at Grace.

"He seems like a good guy."

"He's a very good guy."


	4. Chapter 4

As Dean walked through the waiting area he motioned for Sam to follow him outside, where they would have a little more privacy to talk. They walked away from the entrance so no one could hear them in passing.

"How's she doing?" Sam asked.

"She's doing ok. She pretty banged up though, man. Worse than I thought."

"You did what you had to do... what she _told_ you to do."

"I know, but I don't have to like it."

Dean ran a hand over his face.

"I will say this, she's not a bad liar," he said with a grin. "Kind of a quick thinker. You should have seen her with this fiancé bit."

"She's going along with it?"

"Like a pro."

"So she'll cover for us?"

"Yeah, she will."

Dean figured he had better just come out with the next part.

"Listen. I asked her if there was anyone she wanted us to call... she doesn't have anyone. Her parents are dead, no brothers or sisters, no cousins. No one."

"Okay?"

"I think she should come with us to Bobby's until she's better."

"Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not."

"Dean, we have to get on the road and use this information we got. How are going to take care of her?"

"She just needs a place to stay where there's another person. It doesn't have to be us. Maybe Bobby can call Sheriff Mills for some help too."

"Well, that would make more sense, but I honestly think you're just feeling guilty."

"Damn right I'm feeling guilty!"

Dean looked around to make sure no one overheard his raised voice before he continued.

"I'll call Bobby and talk to him about it."

"Why don't we talk about it first on the way to a motel. We both need sleep."

"Actually, you can get the motel. I'm going to stay with Grace tonight."

"Dean..."

"You haven't seen her... what _I_ did to her. I'm staying."

"Okay. Fine. Call me after you talk to Bobby."

Dean handed Sam the keys, then pulled out his cell to call Bobby. That call went just about the same as his conversation with Sam, but Bobby consented. He'd keep an eye on her while the boys hit the road for a few days. When Dean got back to Grace's room, the roll away bed was in place and Grace was the only one in the room. Her eyes were closed. He climbed onto the bed and turned the light out. Grace opened her eyes and turned her head toward Dean.

"We still haven't talked about what the demon told you."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Get some sleep."

Grace closed her eyes again. The pain medication took over, and she was soon in a deep sleep. Dean, however, was up for a few more hours wondering how this woman could stand the sight of him after what he'd done to her. Sam was right, he did feel guilty. It was bad enough that he'd tortured souls in Hell. It was bad enough that he'd tortured countless demons since then, all wearing some poor bastard's body. This was worse. He'd talked to Grace in the middle of it all. He couldn't put it out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. Exhaustion eventually got the better of him, and he fell asleep.

* * *

They were awakened by the doctor the next morning.

"I hate to wake you up, but I do need to check on the patient."

"That's ok, doc."

Dr. Kline did the usual check up, and he seemed pleased.

"Alright. Let's make sure the muscles in your legs are okay. It's Dean, right?"

"Yes, sir," Dean said, getting off the bed.

"Why don't you come help me get her out of bed." He looked back to Grace. "There were a couple of deeper cuts on your legs. I just want to make sure they haven't done any serious damage. I didn't see anything when you came in last night, but I'd like to see you standing on your own and taking a few steps. You'll still be sore, especially once you try to move, but we need to get you moving around as soon as possible."

Grace pulled back the covers and Dean saw two large bandages on her left thigh.

"I take you hadn't seen these yet?" the doctor asked.

"No. No, I hadn't."

"There were two cuts that required several stitches. They will have to be removed in about a week. Why don't I check on these before we get you up."

Dean watched as Dr. Kline removed the bandages and examined Grace's wounds. He saw Grace watching him and he tried to smile, but he was sure it wasn't a convincing smile. He hated himself for this, but he hated himself for a lot of other things. What was one more?

"These actually look pretty good. If you have to find a bright side about this, whoever did this was very precise. Almost skilled." He looked at Dean, "That may help you find the person responsible, agent."

Dean nodded, and Dr. Kline continued.

"You also seem like a strong woman. You're holding it together pretty well, considering. You'll heal just fine."

Dr. Kline cleaned the stitches, applied ointment, and put fresh bandages in place.

"The nurse who discharges you will give you instructions on how to care for the stitches while you have them. Let's get you up now."

With Dr. Kline on one side, and Dean on the other, Grace slowly put her feet on the floor. As she stood her legs almost buckled. Dean saw her wabble and grabbed her arm tight, which made her cry out in pain. The cuts on her arms were still very tender.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I'm fine."

Dean stopped himself from saying anything. Not in front of the doctor. She was far from fine.

She found her footing and stood straight.

"How's that?" Dr. Kline asked.

"Painful," Grace said in a shaky voice.

"Would you like to sit or do you want to try to take a few steps?"

"Wait, doc. If she's in this much pain could she do any permanent damage if she pushes herself?"

"No. The fact that she's still standing is a very good sign. Pain is unavoidable with these wounds, but it will pass. And walking will actually help the muscles heal properly. It's like physical therapy."

Grace took a step forward with a grimace, then another step.

"That's fine."

She took another step. Then another.

"Okay, I think that's good for now."

"Actually I'd like to try to get to the bathroom."

Dr. Kline chuckled, and Grace smiled.

"Of course." He looked at Dean. "Why don't you walk her over."

"I'd like to try by myself, if that's okay."

She certainly didn't want Dean going in the bathroom with her, and she was sure he wouldn't be comfortable with it either.

Dr. Kline hesitated, but agreed. They watched her take small steps. The short distance across the room took her a minute, but she made it on her own.

* * *

Grace's successful walk to the bathroom, combined with her good vitals, was enough for Dr. Kline to release her that evening. Sam brought the car back and Dean wheeled her out, as was customary from a hospital. They helped her into the backseat where she could stretch out a bit. Dean climbed behind the wheel, and they headed to Bobby's.

Dean told Grace about Bobby's while they waited for her discharge papers. She was reluctant, but he insisted. It didn't take long to convince her since she had no one to help her and she had already experienced the pain of walking. Sam and Dean filled her in on the information they got from the demon. They were planning a mass possession. Thousands of demons all over the country were getting ready. The only solid lead they got was a name: Elistarr. He was behind it all - the General of this demon army. Grace was able to verify all of it. She had seen it while the demon was possessing her.

They stayed with Grace at Bobby's for a couple of days, then hit the road. They were looking for anything that would help at this point, and they weren't sure what that meant. Bobby, of course, was busy hitting the books looking for whatever he could find on this demon. Grace seemed interested in the research.

"I'd like to help," Grace said. She was standing next to Bobby's desk.

Bobby looked up from his stack of books. "You should be resting."

"Reading doesn't take much physical exertion. I'll take a couple of books over to the couch."

Bobby just looked at her.

"I'll stop if I get tired. I promise," she said crossing her heart.

Bobby sighed and handed her three of his thinner books.

"Another stubborn person... Just what our little group needs."

Grace smiled and made her way slowly to the couch.

* * *

A week later the boys were back, exhausted and disappointed. They couldn't get a good lead on Elistarr, and Bobby and Grace hadn't found anything in their research. Grace was gradually feeling better and Bobby admitted to Sam and Dean that she had been a big help, even though she'd spent most of the first couple days falling asleep with a book open on the coach. She had gone to bed a few hours after they boys got back. Sam and Dean sat on the couch, and Bobby brought over a couple of beers.

"Today was her first day without pain killers. I think she did pretty good."

"You really think she's getting better Bobby?" Dean asked.

"Certainly seems like it. She's determined to, and in just this past week I've learned that if she's determined she'll do it."

Dean's guilt still hadn't faded, but it helped to hear that she was doing better. She looked like she was doing better too. They talked for a while before she went to bed, and she actually seemed happy. She liked the research. She liked being able to help. He was just glad he didn't see pain all over her face anymore. Dean was about to speak when he heard a voice coming from Grace's room.

"You guys hear that?"

They listened, and the voice got louder. It was Grace. Dean was on his feet before they heard her screaming.

"Stop! Please don't! I don't want to do this! Help me!"

Dean burst through the door, which thankfully was unlocked. Grace was fighting the air, tangled in her sheets. Asleep. Dean went over to her and shook her.

"Wake up! Grace, wake up."

Grace's eyes popped open.

"Dean!"

She threw her arms around him and sobbed.

Dean looked at Sam and Bobby in the doorway.

"Bobby, has she done this before?"

"Not once."

Dean pulled Grace away to look at her.

"It's okay. You're safe."

"I could see what that demon did... what _I_ did," she said through sobs." There was blood everywhere. She cut their throats. I watched those people struggle to breathe... blood pumping out of them."

"You didn't do it."

"Yes I did! My hands held the knife. It was my face they saw... I was reliving it all."

Dean held her close again and let her cry. He didn't understand why she would suddenly start having nightmares.

"The pain meds," Sam said. "They were helping her sleep. They probably stopped her from dreaming at all while she was taking them."

After a while she was cried out and exhausted. Dean stayed with her the whole time, holding her. Bobby and Sam had left, feeling a bit like they were rubbernecking.

Grace pulled away from Dean, tugging at his shirt, now wet with her tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. No one could blame you for that after what you went through."

She forced a chuckle, "And I thought I was doing so well."

"You're doing great. Most people would end up in the nut house."

She sat and looked down at the sheet, playing with the end of it. The silence stretched out for a while before Dean got up to leave.

"You should try to go back to sleep."

"I really don't want to go back to sleep."

"You can't stay awake forever."

She hesitated, "I know it's probably a lot to ask, but... could you stay with me tonight? I'd feel better knowing someone was here. Maybe you could wake me up if I start to have another nightmare... before it gets bad."

Dean nodded, "Okay."

He helped her get her covers straight, then walked around to the other side of the bed and lay down on top of the sheets. They lay there facing each other.

"Thank you."

Dean just smiled at her. It was the least he could do.


	5. Chapter 5

That first night, Dean woke Grace out of a nightmare twice. Each time, she cried for a few minutes before struggling to go back to sleep. He stayed with her for five nights. Every night got a little better. The last two nights he never had to wake her. She tossed and turned a bit, then settled. She told him the next morning that she did have a nightmare, but she only remembered flashes of it. They both agreed she should try sleeping alone, and it was going okay. A few days later Dean talked about bringing her back home. Since she was feeling better, and didn't need constant attention, she could get back to her normal life. Grace was not pleased at the suggestion.

"I was hoping, since I'd been here this long, that you guys would train me to do what _you_ do."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding? Dean, I don't have much of a life to go back to anyway. I was working at a job I tolerated because it paid pretty well. I already told you about my family... I don't have friends. Not good friends. Why not use my experience to help people? If I can stop what happened to me from happening to anyone else, I want to try."

"At least that life is safe."

"Safe? How safe was it when that demon possessed me?"

"Right, and you lived how many years before that happened? Try dealing with this crap day in and day out. You never know what's waiting for you around the corner. There aren't just demons out there. Monsters... some you couldn't imagine in your worst nightmares."

They went round and round like that for days, neither giving an inch. Dean finally threatened to tie her up, bring her home, and leave her there. Her counter-threat was that she would use what little she had already learned to find someone else to help her. Dean, of course, didn't like that at all. There were hunters out there who were always looking for an inexperienced partner to use as bait. It was Sam who finally suggested to let Grace stay, which surprised Dean.

"You didn't want her here to begin with. Where's this coming from?"

"I don't know, I just think she could be helpful. Bobby said she was doing a good job with research. Maybe we can get her to stick around here most of the time. Bobby could use the help. He's always busy."

Dean eventually gave in and Grace got rid of practically everything she owned, tucking the money away for an emergency. She gave notice that she wouldn't be going back to work. Her old life was completely in the past.

* * *

As the months went by, Grace took in everything they could teach her. Mostly she sat back and watched them work, helping when she could. Usually with research. Her wounds were healed, though she had a few nasty scars where the deeper cuts had been. The nightmares were coming less often, and they didn't wake her in the middle of the night anymore.

When the boys were home she spent a lot of time with Sam. She was doing a lot of reading and when she discovered a new creature she always had questions. Sam would answer them for her, and show her the best resources that Bobby had so she could read more. When Sam was doing research he would make sure she was there with him so she could learn. Dean made no secret that he hated research, and avoided it as much as possible. If they didn't need him he would be out cruising the streets... doing what he does best. Between Sam and Dean being on the road, and Grace hanging out so much with Sam when they weren't on the road, she and Dean hadn't had much time to talk anymore. Sam told her their story: about their mom and Jess. He told her about their dad and the demon Azazel, and the psychic abilities he had for a while. What he didn't know... what she hadn't told any of them yet, was that she knew all of this already... and more. That demon had been inside of her for months and she saw a lot of its thoughts. Most of those thoughts were about Sam and Dean. Grace knew about Dean going to Hell. She knew about Sam and Ruby, and how Lucifer was freed. She knew how Sam had sacrificed himself to put Lucifer back in the pit. She knew all of it. She would tell them eventually, but not now.

She was pretty sure that Sam would be okay with it all, but she thought it might freak Dean out. She didn't know what his reaction would be, and she certainly didn't want him to look at her differently. Even when she was possessed, she couldn't help but think of Dean. The more the demon passed its thoughts along to her, the more she knew that he could save her. She didn't hold out hope that he would, but knew that he could. But he did save her. Then he took care of her. He held her while she cried, and stayed with her when she was scared.

The bit of time she did get to spend with Dean was weapons training. He told her if she was sticking around she needed to be able to defend herself, so he taught her how to shoot, wield a knife, pack rock-salt shells... things she never dreamed she'd be doing.

It was their third time together. She was learning to shoot. That's when she knew she was falling for him. He came up to her from behind, wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands on top of hers. He was correcting her grip on the gun. All she felt was his body against hers. She felt warm, and safe.

Of course she hadn't told anyone about that either, and she didn't plan to. The life she was living now, her new purpose, didn't involve romance. It had no room for it. She knew enough about Sam and Dean's past loves to understand that, and she realized that's why Dean went from one fling to the next. It was simpler. No distractions.

* * *

She practically had to beg to go on her first hunt. A poltergeist in a warehouse. Sam and Dean split up. Grace stayed with Dean, per his orders. She was doing fine until things started flying around the room. She didn't watch where she was going as she stepped backward, and she tripped over a small table that was now laying on its side at her feet. Her ankle was twisted. She tried to get up and pretend she was fine, knowing Dean would be angry that he even brought along, but she couldn't stand on it. Dean carried her out to the car and told her to stay put, then ran back inside to help Sam. The ride back to Bobby's was quiet. Sam helped her upstairs and went back down to Dean.

"Dude, you should cut her some slack. It was an accident. It's not like you've never fallen don on the job."

Dean glared at Sam, but knew he was right. He just couldn't stand to see her get hurt.

The next day Bobby had some news. He had been looking at weather patterns and collecting information from other hunters as they called in for help. There was heavy demon activity two days away. He thought they should check it out to see if it led to Elistarr.

Two days later Sam and Dean were tailing a demon. They had followed him around for half a day, and so far this was one pretty boring demon. Dean was getting restless, so when the demon went home Dean decided they should pay him a visit. Dean told Sam to wait in the car, then headed up the front porch. He looked through the window, then tried the door. Unlocked. He nodded at Sam, then went in, gun ready. He did a scan of the first floor, and found nothing. He was just about to head upstairs when he was attacked from behind. He hit the ground face-first with his attacker on top of him. He quickly twisted around and saw the demon they had been trailing, eyes blacker than coal. Then he watched in shock as the image changed... into himself.

"What the hell?!"

"I'm so glad you came for a visit Dean. There are a lot demons who wanted you for a target, but it looks like I'm the lucky one."

They continued to struggle, but Dean kept a firm grip on his gun.

"What the hell _are_ you?"

"Well, _I_ am a demon, of course... but what I'm possessing... is a type of shifter."

Dean grunted, still trying to escape from beneath his mirror image. "You've got to be freakin' kidding me!"

"Nope... and we're going after all your little hunter friends. You're my first. Next will be your brother... I mean, _my_ brother."

Dean let go of his gun, which had regular bullets in it, and reached for the one at his back. Silver bullets. That would take care of the shifter. He freed the gun and managed to bring it around before the demon realized. One shot, straight to the heart. The shifter-Dean stumbled back, looked down at the wound, and laughed.

"Was that supposed to hurt?"

He punched Dean in the face.

"What happens when you shoot a possessed human through the heart, huh?"

Another punch.

"Nothing! That's what! What kills the vessel doesn't kill the demon, you idiot."

Another punch. Then Sam came through the door, gun at the ready, and stopped cold seeing two of his brother. Both Deans looked up and yelled.

"Sam, wait!"

Shifter-Dean was first, "It's a shifter! Give me your gun! I lost mine!"

"Sam, no... he's the shifter!"

"No, _he's_ the shifter!"

Sam shifted his gun sight between Deans. Finally the real Dean was able to catch shifter-Dean off guard with a solid punch. The shifter's jacket opened, revealing the gunshot wound to the heart.

"Sam, look! I already shot him and he's still alive. _He's_ the shifter!"

Sam leveled his gun at the shifter's head, but it was already on the move. It jumped through the back window and was gone. Sam went back to Dean and helped him off the floor.

"You couldn't get to your silver bullets?"

"I _shot_ him with a silver bullet. It didn't work."

"What?"

"The shifter... is possessed by a demon."

"You're kidding?"

"Do you think I could make this crap up?"

Dean tossed Sam the keys and they rode back to Bobby's. At least now they knew more about Elistarr's plan. The question was, how could they stop it?"


	6. Chapter 6

Bobby carried two beers into the living room. "A demon-possessed shifter?" he asked, handing Dean his beer.

"That's right." Dean took a swig, then placed the cold bottle on the cut beside his right eye. He was sitting in a chair in front of Bobby's desk.

Sam sat on the couch with his beer between both hands. "We're going to need your help on this one, Bobby. Have you ever heard of anything like this?"

"Never... not even close."

Grace was on the couch next to Sam. No beer for her. She hated the stuff. She just sat listening to Bobby and the boys talk. She had nothing to add, because she didn't know what was going on. Sam had given her some good material to study on both shifters and demons, since they had several run-ins with both, but nothing she read gave her any insights into this. Bobby was like a bottomless well of knowledge when it came to the supernatural. The fact that he had no information made her a bit scared.

"I have a question," she said. All eyes went to her. "Sam told me that the shifters you guys hunted always shed their skin to change. Dean, you said this one just kind of... morphed into you, right?"

"Right."

"Does that mean anything?"

Bobby answered, "There are different kinds of shifters. If you wanna get technical about it, a werewolf is a type of shifter. There's no telling what kind this is, or how it operates. Not until we catch it, anyway."

Dean took another drink, placed the bottle on the desk, then stood. "Well, Grace can stay here and do some research while we're on the road."

"Not just Grace," Sam said.

Dean looked confused, "I thought we were bringing Bobby with us?"

"I am."

"_You_ are? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're staying here."

"Like hell I am!"

"Dean, that shifter... demon... whatever. It's wearing your face."

"Yeah, exactly why I want to take the son-of-a-bitch out."

Bobby cut in before it turned into an all-out shouting match, "Sam's right, Dean. You heard it straight from the horse's mouth... they're goin' after hunters. It's gonna try to get some other hunter to kill you, the real you, by doin' some pretty messed up stuff wearing your skin. You really wanna take the chance of runnin' into another hunter before we catch it, or before we get the word out about what's happenin'?"

Dean shifted his weight from one leg to the other, with a determined look on his face. Grace thought he looked antsy. He really wanted to catch this thing. Catch was probably the wrong word. Kill... yeah, he wanted to kill it. She had seen that look in his eye before.

"Dean..." Sam started, but Dean cut him off.

"Fine! Friggin' shifters, man! I am so tired of these things wearing my skin."

Sam stood to start packing up what he and Bobby would need. Grace could tell Dean wasn't happy about staying behind. He stared at Sam.

"What am I supposed to do cooped up in this house?"

"Research, Dean."

"The whole time? You could be gone for a couple of weeks trying to track this thing down again, and by the time you get back to that town you'll already be five days behind."

"I don't know, Dean. Why don't you try reading up on some other things when you run out of shifter or demon material... not that that's likely to happen."

"The running out, or the reading up," Bobby said with a grin.

Sam fought off a smile, knowing it would only irritate Dean more.

"Dean, Grace will be here. Why don't you guys talk? Watch a movie or two."

Grace threw her hands up in the air, "Don't put my name out there. I'm not babysitting Mr. Eastwood."

Dean shot her a nasty look, and this time Sam couldn't help but smile.

"It's so nice to know that you're all getting a big chuckle out of this," Dean said.

-

The night Sam and Bobby left was non-stop research for Dean and Grace. They ate while they worked. They skipped sleep. They worked all through the next day... same process, but that night Dean said they should take a break. Dean popped in his favorite Eastwood movie. They sat on the couch, and it wasn't long before Grace fell asleep. She woke the next morning to find Dean asleep at the desk... his head in a book. She sat there for a minute, just looking at him. She had seen him like this before, but she never noticed how innocent he looked as he slept. It was as if the years of his hard life were washed away, if only while he dreamed... if he dreamed. She wondered what Dean Winchester dreamed about. Probably scantily clad women serving him pie.

An alarm clock went off and Grace jumped. Dean's head popped up, and he reached over and turned the alarm off. Grace did her best to pretend the alarm woke her up, and she hadn't been watching him sleep.

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"6:30."

"What time did you go to sleep?"

"Not sure. I set the alarm around 2:00, just in case. Last time I remember looking at the clock was a little after 4:00."

"Why didn't you wake me up."

"You need your sleep."

"So do you."

"I'm used to it. You're not. At least, not yet. Give it time."

Another full day of research, just like the day before. That night, Sam and Bobby were back in the town Sam and Dean had found the possessed shifter. They checked into a motel using a couple of rarely used aliases. The shifter would be expecting them, if it was even still in town. They had to keep a low profile. Grace and Dean had sifted through Bobby's books looking for anything that could help them take down a possessed shifter. They couldn't find anything that said it was even possible for a demon to possess a shifter, or any other monster. The only thing they could find was human possession. There was no guarantee that what worked on possessed humans would work on a possessed shifter. Sam and Bobby would have to actually capture this demon to get answers and form a plan.

Grace was sitting behind the desk, barely awake after reading all day. After all, this wasn't light reading. She was beginning to wish she had studied Latin, as Bobby had a ton of books in the language. Some of them he had English copies too, but some... just the Latin. She was betting one of those had the information they needed. It was driving her crazy. Dean hung up the phone after a call to Bobby. He slammed a book on the desk, then sat down in a huff. Grace didn't even ask. She knew he was frustrated. He hated research as it was, and it was made worse by not finding anything. Add to it that Sam and Bobby were out hunting while he was stuck inside... Dean was miserable.

"Dean, why don't you take a break? You didn't get much sleep last night."

"I got enough."

She placed her hand over the page he was reading, and he looked up.

"Seriously, Dean. I've got it for a little while."

He gave her a tired, half-smile then went over to the couch, but not before he popped in a movie. Grace heard the familiar opening scene and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you watching the same movie you watched last night?"

"What? It's my favorite."

Grace knew she wouldn't be able to focus with that movie playing so close. She grabbed a couple of large books, a bag of chips and a soda, and headed upstairs. It was about midnight when she passed out - book open on her chest and she lay back, propped up on pillows.

She awoke the next morning to the sound of the alarm clock downstairs. "That thing is ridiculously loud," she thought. As she stepped out of bed her foot slipped on something and her already twisted ankle twisted again.

"Damn it!"

She looked down and saw a book on the floor. She forgot she put it there after she finished it. Her ankle was just starting to feel better. Now it was throbbing again, but she was able to walk. She limped a bit down the stairs, but found that once she was on level ground she could walk normally, though it hurt.

She smelled bacon. Dean was in the kitchen.

"I hope some of that bacon is for me," she said.

Dean turned around and smiled at her. "Only if you're quick enough."

"For bacon, I am."

She walked over to Bobby's desk. She placed her unread books from last night in one pile, the finished book in another. She opened the one she was reading to the last page she remembered before falling asleep and left it open on the desk. The place looked a mess, but she and Dean got a system going. Mostly her. Dean started throwing books left and right as he finished. At one point she found him reading a book she had already gone through. So, she worked out a "filing" system that consisted of a few well-placed piles. She picked up a few empty beer bottles from the last couple of days, and placed them in the trash. She walked back to the desk and sat down to start reading when Dean called to her.

"Hey... not today. We need a real break. Come eat breakfast."

Dean cleared off the small table in the kitchen, and they sat down and ate. They talked a little about what they read so far on shifters and demons, comparing notes and trying to come up with ideas or theories. Dean finished eating, threw his plate in the sink, and leaned against the counter. When Grace finished, she walked over to the sink and nudged Dean out of the way. She glared at him as she looked down at his dirty dishes, including the skillet he used to fry the bacon and eggs.

"Hey, I cooked... you wash."

"Okay, that's fair."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but if you could run water in these next time... it stops the food from getting all hard before you wash them."

Grace turned back to the dishes. She turned on the water, grabbed a dish cloth, and began washing. Dean was sitting at the table again. There was a few minutes of silence before Dean spoke again.

"I almost hate to bring this up, but..."

"Yeah?" Grace asked, scrubbing the skillet.

"When you were possessed..."

Grace's scrubbing slowed.

"You knew who me and Sam were. You said the demon knew us, and you could see its thoughts."

"Right."

"What exactly did that demon know about us? What did you see?"

For just a split second, Grace stopped scrubbing. It was a hesitation. A brief stop. But she was sure that Dean picked up on it.

"I know you saw things that you haven't told us."

"I saw a lot of things when I was possessed."

"Such as?"

She rinsed the skillet and placed it in the drain board, ignoring his question.

"Grace?"

"Dean, I'd really rather not discuss that period of my life anymore."

"I just want to know what you know about me and Sam. That's all."

She finished cleaning up around the sink. Maybe it was better to tell him now, while they were alone. So, she sat down at the table and told him everything she knew. He mostly sat there and listened. What could he say, honestly?

"You really did see a lot," he said when she was done.

"Yes, I did."

He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

"Dean, really?"

"What?"

"It's not even 9:00 in the morning."

He looked at his watch. "Oh yeah. I guess I'm just restless," he said, putting the beer back in the fridge.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked.

"Okay with it?"

"With me knowing all this stuff about you and Sam?"

"I don't think I really have a choice. You know... what can I do about it?"

"You know, Sam actually told me some of it himself."

"But you already knew?"

"Yeah."

"Does Sam know you knew?"

"No... I didn't tell him yet. I wasn't sure how you guys would react."

Dean understood her hesitation. It's not easy to tell someone you learned their life story from a demon. He spent a good part of the day telling Grace his view of his life. He wasn't sure how that demon's skewed view looked to Grace, and he wanted to tell it his way. She sat and listened. He showed her John's journal, and pictures of his mom. He seemed more child-like as he talked about his parents... softer. For a little while, she saw Dean Winchester in a very different light.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean and Grace spent hours talking, and Dean realized that they had a few things in common. Grace liked classic rock. She actually liked all kinds of music, but he focused on that genre. He was really excited to hear she liked Zeppelin. When it came to learning, she had more in common with Sam, but she had the "if you want it done right, do it yourself" attitude, like Dean. She was also a bit of a loner, like Dean. The only person he ever really wanted around was Sammy. She seemed to like being alone, to an extent, too. Eventually they ran out of things to talk about and Grace suggested a movie. Dean went over to a box of movies and pulled one out.

Grace rolled her eyes, "Please tell me that's not another Eastwood movie."

"Okay... That's not another Eastwood movie."

"No. There has to be something else in that box!"

"There's not much in there other than westerns."

"I'm not opposed to westerns, I'm just a little tired of your man-crush on Eastwood."

Dean walked back to the couch with the box in his hands. "Man-crush?!"

"Yes!" She said, snatching the box from him, "man-crush."

Dean sat down next to her, sort of pouting, "I don't have a man-crush..."

"Oh, you've got it bad, baby," she said going through the movies. She didn't see it, but Dean sort of smiled at that. What she did see was that Dean was right... mostly westerns. Some she didn't care for. Some she had never seen. And then...

"Jackpot!" she said holding up the movie for him to see.

Dean raised a suspicious eyebrow, "El Dorado?"

"Yeah... I like John Wayne, and this happens to be my favorite."

"Sure."

"You don't like that one?"

"I do... I just don't believe you do."

Her mouth dropped open, "What?"

"I think you just don't want to watch another Eastwood movie."

"Fine..." she said leaning back and crossing her legs, "test me."

Dean smirked, "Okay. I won't even drag it out. You won't know this one if you haven't seen the movie."

"Go for it."

"What is Mississippi's real name?"

Grace tried to suppress a wide grin, but she couldn't. She answered just like the character from the movie, "Alan... Bourdillion... Trehearne."

Dean's smirk faded, "It's on the back cover."

She laughed, "No it's not."

"Okay, let me see it."

Grace put the cover behind her back, "No."

Dean's smirk came back, "I knew it! Give it to me."

"No."

Dean tried to pull Grace's arms from behind her, but she had backed herself into the corner of the couch and shoved her hands into the cushions. Dean put one knee on the couch and went over her shoulders to get behind her back. She let out a playful scream.

"Give it!"

"No," she said, laughing.

Dean pulled back, "Oh, you think this is funny?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, maybe I can make it funnier... You ticklish?"

Her eyes widened, and Dean knew he had her. He barely touched and she gave up.

"Okay, okay! Here..." she said, handing him the cover. As Grace straightened herself, Dean sat and read it over.

"It's not on here."

"I told you!"

"Then why were you hiding it?"

She looked down and grinned, "I just wanted to mess with you a little."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Well, you didn't believe me!"

"You really like this movie?"

"I _really_ like this movie."

"Okay then. We'll watch it."

As Dean put the movie in, Grace pulled her feet in close next to her on the couch and rested against the couch arm. Dean sat on the other side... his usual spot. Feet on the floor, slouched down, arms crossed. It was a warm night, and Bobby's air conditioning wasn't known for its reliability on warm nights. It wasn't that it broke down, but it didn't work well. Grace found that she was okay if she wore shorts, which she changed into earlier in the day as it got warmer. Even Dean removed his usual top layer of flannel.

Dean was surprised to see Grace hadn't been lying about liking the movie. She would often say "Oh, I love this line!" and mouth along with it, then laugh, flashing him a big smile. It was the first time since he met her that she seemed to be really relaxed and enjoying herself.

Half way through the movie he started noticing her rubbing her ankle. She would rub for a minute, then leave her hand resting there, only to start rubbing again a bit later. She was doing it again when he called her on it.

"I thought your ankle was better?"

"It is... well, it was. I kind of tripped over a book getting out of bed this morning."

He shook his head and chuckled, "You are such a klutz."

"I'm not a klutz. I just forgot I put the book on the floor before I fell asleep."

She turned back to the movie and kept rubbing.

Dean sighed, "Give me your foot."

"What?"

"Give me your foot."

She just stared at him with a blank expression on her face.

"Seeing you do that out of the corner of my eye is distracting. Let me do it so I can enjoy the movie."

"Seriously?"

He gave her a frustrated look, so she relented, "Okay."

She stretched her leg out so that her foot rested in his lap, and he gently rubbed her ankle while they watched the movie. After a few minutes he felt her tense up.

"Too hard?"

"No... too light, actually. It kind of tickles. I'm fighting the urge to kick you right now."

He started rubbing a little deeper, "You should have said something."

"Well, I didn't want to after you were nice enough to volunteer to do it."

"How's this?"

"Better."

They turned their attention back to the movie. A few minutes later, Grace sighed, "Much better." Dean smiled. Neither took their eyes from the television.

The massage on her ankle felt so good Grace started to forget about the movie. When was the last time she had gotten anything close to a massage? She couldn't even remember. It was something she did regularly before her possession. It seemed so long ago now. Her old life so far away. She was so lost in her own thoughts, and the feel of Dean rubbing her ankle that she moaned, very low. She felt Dean's hands stop. She was about ask why, but all in a matter of seconds she realized - she was no longer on her side, but on her back, laying just slightly propped up against the arm of the couch. Eyes closed. One hand was up over her head. Her uninjured foot sat planted on the couch cushion, her leg bent up at the knee with her hand resting on it. She had moaned, and Dean's hand froze. Hands she was very much aware of now as they remained still, but firm on her ankle. Without opening her eyes she tried to slowly pull her foot away, but his grip tightened and he began rubbing again. It was different now, she thought. It felt slower. More deliberate. Or maybe she was just letting her mind play tricks on her now that she was uncomfortable.

She didn't have much time to wonder. Dean's hand started getting higher on her leg, a little at a time, until one hand was on her calf. Still rubbing. So, he was just rubbing her leg. That's all. She told herself that was all. She was making too much of it. He shifted her leg so that her foot was flat on his thigh, and her knee bent. She opened her eyes just in time to see him lean over and kiss her leg, just below the knee. She let out a quiet gasp and stopped breathing. Her gasp drew his eyes to hers, as his lips lingered on her leg. He shifted his weight, moving the hand from her calf to support himself on the sofa. His other hand, still on her ankle, began slowly moving up her leg until it caught up to his lips. Now they traveled up together, hand and lips. She watched as he moved above her knee, then closed her eyes. Should they be doing this? Should they stop? And then he did stop. She no longer felt his lips. She opened her eyes and found him staring at her leg, at the long scar above her knee, just far enough on the inside of her thigh to miss the bone. The scar he put there. He ran his thumb along the scar, back and forth. She knew he was feeling guilty. She'd worn shorts before, but the position of the scar made it easy to hide. He hadn't seen it. She had several scars that hadn't faded, but this was the worst. It was where the knife had gone the deepest.

Grace reached down and touched Dean's face. He looked up.

"It's okay, Dean."

His thumb grazed the scar once more before it was replaced by his lips. She closed her eyes, and didn't even try to stop the moan when she felt his tongue on her thigh as he continued to kiss his way up. A few more kisses and he lifted himself up, hovering over her with his face next to hers. He waited for her to open her eyes. Then he kissed her. Her hands went into his short hair, traveled down his neck and across his back, trying to pull him closer. Dean pushed himself off the couch, grabbing Grace's arms to pull her with him. Once they were both on their feet he kissed her again, a little harder. More urgent. She ran her hands along his waist, her fingers slipping beneath the hem of his shirt. Before she could begin to move her hands any higher he broke away, tightened his grip around her waist and lifted her off her feet. She immediately wrapped her legs around him and he made his way to the stairs.

As soon as she was on her feet again, Grace had Dean out of his shirt. She ran her hands over his chest as they kissed. The rest of their clothes quickly followed, and Dean was hovering over her again, kissing her neck as he made love to her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, but her hands were all over - in his hair, on his back, gripping his arms... she just wanted to touch him.

All thoughts of "should they" were gone from Grace's mind, until they lay there afterward. Dean was on his back holding Grace close to his side, her head on his chest.

"Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think... I mean..."

"Nah uh. Don't complicate this."

"I just..."

"Did you want to be with me?"

"Yeah."

"And I wanted to be with you. It's that simple. Don't over think it."

Was it really that simple? Should it be?

"Do we tell Sam, or Bobby?"

"I don't see why they would need to know."

She shrugged, "Just to know what's going on with us."

He rubbed her arm, "No... this will be our secret."

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Was this a one-night thing?"

He ran his fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear, "I hope not."

Grace smiled against Dean's chest.

"I hope not, too."


	8. Chapter 8

When Grace woke up the next morning she was flat on her stomach, her arms under her pillow, with her face turned away from Dean. She could feel him next to her. His arm across her back. His leg over her own. She turned her head and saw his face, just inches away from hers. She fought the urge to reach out and stroke his cheek. She didn't want to wake him. She lay there for several minutes just watching him breathe before the urge was too great. She placed her palm along his jaw line and lightly swept her thumb across his cheek. Then across his lips. She thought about those lips on hers. She was about to lean in to kiss him when his eyes fluttered open. They smiled at each other.

"Hey," Grace said, her hand still caressing Dean's face.

"Hey."

Dean placed his hand on top of Grace's and slowly turned his head into her palm to kiss it. Then he pulled her hand down to his chest and held it there.

"You doin' okay?"

"I'm good," she smiled.

"Good."

He kissed her gently. His hand left hers on his chest and made its way into her hair. He moved it away from her face then buried his hand there, cradling her head.

Grace sighed, "I could do this all day."

"Nothing stopping us," Dean said kissing his way down her jaw to her neck.

"Shouldn't we actually do some work today?"

Dean rolled onto his back with a disgusted look on his face.

"You really know how to kill the mood."

Grace snuggled up close to him, leaning on her elbow, her hand supporting her head.

"Don't think I wouldn't rather stay right here. We just didn't get any work done yesterday, and Sam has called every night to check in. He's going to wonder what we've been doing if we haven't been researching, and if we're going to keep this our little secret..."

"Okay. Point made. We work... But later..." He grinned and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Later." She kissed him and he dragged himself from the bed, pulling on his boxers. As he walked around the bed gathering up his clothes he noticed she wasn't moving.

"You coming?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking. I can't believe that I... that we... It almost doesn't seem real."

"Oh, it was real, sweetheart."

"I was just thinking... That demon was able to pass along thoughts and memories to me. What if it could create fake thoughts and memories? What if I'm still possessed and this is all just a way to keep me... complacent? Wouldn't that be something?"

Dean sat on the edge of the bed.

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"No... I just tend to over think things. And I have a pretty over active imagination."

"Good, because Sam and I found you. We got rid of that demon, and nothing is possessing you now... Except, maybe, me... again later tonight."

Her whole body shivered at the thought. He leaned over and kissed her, then left the room to get dressed.

Grace got dressed and joined Dean downstairs. They went back to eating while they worked. Dean sat on the couch with a few books while Grace sat at the desk with a large pile. Once Dean made it through his he walked behind Grace. He leaned over her shoulder, one hand on the desk, the other on the back of her chair.

"I think maybe you're getting the better books."

"What?" She looked up.

"You always look like your actually enjoying what your reading."

"That's because I am," she said, turning back to the book.

"Like I said, you must be getting the better books. Give me something out of your pile."

She blindly reached over and grabbed the book on the top of her pile and handed it to Dean, her eyes never leaving what she was reading.

"Hey," he whispered close to her ear. When she turned to look at him he kissed her. "Thanks for the book."

Before he could back away she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his lips back to hers. Her kiss was harder than even she had expected. She got up from the chair and started unbuttoning Dean's shirt.

He smiled. "What happened to working?"

"You shouldn't start what you can't finish."

"Oh, I can finish it."

Dean lifted her up to sit her on the desk. She pulled him to her, but he didn't kiss her. He held her face in his hands, his lips temptingly close to hers. He just stared into her eyes.

"Kiss me."

And he did. She had never felt anything like it. His lips were so soft, but his kiss was firm. He wanted her, and he let her know it with that kiss. She wrapped her legs around him and finished unbuttoning his shirt to find another shirt.

"You have to stop wearing so many layers," she said between breaths.

"Noted."

He picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom. He put her down on the bed, but she got up and pulled off his t-shirt. Dean couldn't help but notice that she was a lot more dominant than she had been the night before.

"Is this the same girl I made love to last night?" he asked with a grin.

She looked up at him through her lashes as she undid his pants, which he quickly removed. After all their clothes were shed she pushed him gently onto the bed, climbing on after him, straddling his hips. He let her take control, setting the rhythm. She reached down to grab his hands, which were gliding up and down her thighs. Dean laced their fingers together, and after a few minutes he was ready to be in control. He sat up, Grace still in his lap rocking back and forth. He kissed her, running his hands down her neck, then down to her breast. She moaned, and Dean's breathing got heavier. He finally flipped her over, and he proved he could finish what he started.

They kissed for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, not ready to break the moment.

"Well, that's something I never expected from you. What got into you?"

"You did."

Dean flashed a wicked grin, "I sure did."

She slapped at him, "That's not what I meant, you perv!"

"I know, I know."

"I just couldn't control myself. When you kissed me... I wanted to feel you against me more than anything."

They were kissing again when Dean's phone rang. Grace groaned, and Dean checked the caller ID.

"It's Sammy."

Dean answered and listened to Sam give a quick update. When Dean figured that it wasn't urgent he interrupted.

"Look Sam, let me call you right back... No, nothing's wrong, I'm just in the middle of something. Call you right back."

"Aren't you glad we did some research today?" Grace asked.

"We'd have gotten more done if someone could control themselves," he said leaning over to kiss her. "But I'm glad you couldn't."

Dean got up and got dressed, then went downstairs to call Sam back.


	9. Chapter 9

When Grace came down, Dean was finishing up his call with Sam. She waited until he hung up.

"Any news?"

"Better than that. They caught the shifter-demon."

"That's great!"

"They're bringing it here to work on it. They're an hour away, so I need to get the basement ready."

"How can I help?"

"You can grab a bag and put some of your clothes in it."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm gonna take you to a hotel. You'll have to stay there for a few days."

"Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not. This is out of our usual realm of crap. We don't know what's gonna happen here, and I want you safe."

"I'm not going anywhere. So, unless you wanna hit me over the head and throw me in the trunk... I'm staying."

"Grace, this is going to get intense! I don't want..."

"I'll stay out of the basement, okay?!"

"That's not the..." Dean ran a hand over his face in frustration. "You know what... I don't have time to argue. Stay, but when they get here you stay upstairs until we get that thing secure in the basement. Understood?"

"Fine."

Grace didn't appreciate that she'd basically been given an order, but she could see that Dean was in no mood to bring that up. She helped him get the place ready. When Sam and Bobby arrived, Dean headed for the front door and pointed Grace toward the stairs. She hesitated.

"Dean..."

He rolled his eyes, "Grace, don't try to..."

She kissed him lightly on the lips, then grabbed one of his hands and held it in hers.

"Be careful, okay?"

"Sure."

He watched her as she went upstairs. When he heard her bedroom door close he went outside to help Sam and Bobby. They got Dean's look-a-like out of the trunk and into the basement. A little over an hour later, Sam knocked on Grace's bedroom door.

"Hey... Dean wanted to let you know it's okay for you to go downstairs. He just wants you to stay out of the basement."

"Thanks. Guess I'll head down and do some more research."

"I should warn you, it's gonna get loud down there."

"I'll be okay."

They walked downstairs, and Grace headed to Bobby's desk. Sam went to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. They were planning on this interrogation taking a long time. They decided to switch up, with two people in the basement at all times. Sam had driven most of the way back, so he got the first break.

Grace was a few pages into her reading when a horrible scream made her jump. Sam, eating his sandwich at the table in the kitchen, barely even looked up. Grace tried to go back to reading, but the screaming continued. Sam watched as she got up and ran back upstairs. He followed her back to her room, and found her sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands gripping the mattress.

"You okay?"

"Not really... He's torturing that demon, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is."

Grace nodded.

Sam sat next to her. "You know, I think this is why he wanted you to go to a hotel."

"He told you about that, huh?"

"Said you're more stubborn than he is."

"Wow! I think I should be offended by that."

Sam chuckled.

"I thought I was past it, but the screaming brought it all back. I never told Dean, but... the demon kept me conscious of the rest of the torture. Once I have my permission I felt everything. I could see everything, but I had no control."

"If he knew that he _would_ have thrown you in the trunk and brought you to a hotel."

"I can't tell him. I know he feels guilty enough as it is. I mean, if he would ever ask me outright I'm not going to lie to him, but... he just doesn't need to know. Honestly, I don't think he wants to know."

A tear slid down her cheek. Sam was about to say something, but she cut him off.

"You should go rest. They'll need you down there soon."

Sam got up and walked to the door, "I'll bring some books up for you... Give you something to do."

"Thanks," she smiled.

A few hours later she walked to the bottom of the stairs and listened. The screaming seemed to have lessened. She went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Bobby was laying on the couch with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. The floor squeaked as she walked by and he opened his eyes.

"What're you up to?"

"Just getting something to eat. How's it going down there?"

"Slow."

"You get anything at all?"

"Only if you consider a few 'screw yous' helpful."

"Well, I'll let you rest."

Grace made herself a sandwich and headed back upstairs. Eventually, she got tired of trying to do research. Her focus just wasn't there. She cleared off the bed and laid down on her side, facing away from the door. Memories of the pain were haunting her since she heard the shifter-demon screaming. She kept seeing Dean's face, then the knife blade. She knew the look on Dean's face wasn't meant for her. He didn't want to hurt her. But he did, and he felt guilty about it. She saw it in his face their first night together when he saw the scar on her thigh. He carried guilt over so many other things, she hated that she added to it.

She heard her door open, then felt the bed dip. An arm slid over her and a husky voice whispered in her ear.

"Sam said you were crying. You okay?"

"I'm better now that you're here."

Dean kissed her cheek. "Seriously... You doin' okay?"

"Hearing that thing scream just brought back a lot of bad memories that I thought were gone."

Dean hesitated, but then took Grace's hand in his.

"You know I went to Hell."

"Yeah."

"I didn't tell you much, but... did that demon show you anything about while I was down there?"

"No."

"I learned to torture in Hell."

Grace turned over to look at Dean while he talked.

"I was tortured for what felt like years. Every day I was offered an out. The torture would stop, if I tortured others. Every day I said no... and then one day, I just couldn't take it anymore. I said yes."

Grace didn't know what to say. She squeezed his hand and pulled it close to her face.

"I'm telling you this so you'll know you're not alone when these painful memories come back. I understand. Trust me. I deal with it every time I do this."

"How long before you have to go back down?"

"I just came up so I have plenty of time."

"I know you can't stay long, but can we just hold each other for a few minutes?"

He pulled her closer and brushed her hair away from her face.

"Just try to get rid of me."


	10. Chapter 10

Grace dozed off in Dean's arms. When she woke up he was gone. She pulled the pillow he'd used close to her, breathing in the scent he left behind. Part of her still thought what they were doing was a bad idea. At least, on her part. Sleeping together was one thing, but she was falling in love with him. There was no denying it. He had saved her, taken care of her, and now he had shared something personal. Something that told her he understood what she was going through, probably better than anyone ever could. But falling in love with Dean Winchester... with his history with women it just didn't seem smart. Still, the idea of calling it off, well, she didn't like that either. So she decided to keep her feelings in check and just try to enjoy whatever time they spent together.

She decided to shower before going downstairs again. She just finished getting dressed when there was a knock on her door. It was Sam.

"We're done."

"The demon?"

"Gone."

"The shifter?"

"We buried it out back."

"Did you get anything useful?"

"Yeah, we did. Dean went to get some food, why don't you come down and we can talk."

Grace followed Sam downstairs. Bobby was sitting at his desk, looking exhausted. She turned and looked toward the basement.

"I wouldn't think about going down there," Bobby said. "Haven't had a chance to clean up yet."

"Thanks for the warning."

She went into the kitchen to get a soda, just as Dean came in with the food. They each fixed a plate and went into the other room. Sam and Grace sat on the couch. Dean sat in front of Bobby's desk. They filled Grace in on what they learned as they ate.

"Turns out the shifter was killed when I shot it with the silver bullet. After that it was just a body for the demon," Dean said.

"And get this," Sam said, "the shifter was the same kind we ran into in the past, that shed their skin to shift, but the demons found a way to bypass that. They can make the shifter change without shedding."

"But," Dean interrupted, "once the shifter was dead the demon couldn't make it shift anymore. Which is why it still looked like me."

Grace looked at Dean. "How do you kill something that looks like you?"

"Because you have to. It wasn't the first time... probably won't be the last."

"You'd be surprised what you can do when you have to," Bobby said.

"Anything on Elistarr?" Grace asked.

"No," Sam said, "but we did get the name and location of Elistarr's second in command. We'll head out tomorrow and start some kind of surveillance."

"Right," Dean said. "Now that we know what we're dealing with we need to figure out the best way to move. Do we kill the shifter first and leave the demon?"

"Or do we get rid of the demon first, which could leave us with a pretty pissed off shifter?" Sam continued.

"So you guys are gonna watch them, get their patterns and behaviors, and plan from there." Grace said.

"That's right," Sam said.

They spent the rest of the night making a few plans for tailing Elistarr's second in command. Grace went to bed around midnight. When she woke the next morning the boys were already packing. Bobby was putting some extra surveillance equipment in the trunk. Sam grabbed a few bags of extra ammo and weapons and his duffel of extra clothes.

"I'm gonna bring these down."

Dean took the opportunity to say goodbye to Grace. She was in the kitchen. He walked up behind her, grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.

She smiled at him, "Remember what I said about starting something you can't finish... you don't have time."

"I know, but I can't leave without kissing you goodbye."

He kissed her gently on the lips, but the kiss deepened and soon they had their hands in each other's hair.

Grace reluctantly pulled away, "Dean..."

"What am I gonna do with you, woman?"

"I'll tell you when you get back."


	11. Chapter 11

After the boys left, Grace helped Bobby get the word out to a few trustworthy hunters on what was about to go down. They needed to be prepared.

Sam and Dean were gone for a little over a month before they called to check in. Grace was more than relieved when Dean called Bobby one night around 11:00 to let him know how things were going. Bobby put him on speaker so Grace could listen in.

"This guy is all over the place," Dean said. "I've never seen someone travel so much in my life."

"You mean other than you and Sam who spend all day, every day in a car?" Bobby asked sarcastically.

"You can't count us, we're not normal people. The worst part is this guy is flying everywhere, Sam and I are trying to keep up in the car. We make it to the town he's in and he's already flying out. Tonight's the first night we actually made it in just about an hour after he did. He has a room in a hotel I'm staked out in front of now. Sam went up the street to another motel to get some sleep. He's not staying long in each stop. Good news is I used that listening device you gave us, Bobby, and I was able to pick up something as he was going into the hotel. He was on his cell, talking about regional inspections. I think that's what he's doing... checking on the progress for the big boss."

"Well, that's something," Bobby said.

"That's not all. He mentioned where he'll be going to give his report. Now, I can only guess he'll be reporting to Elistarr."

"I'd say that's a pretty good bet."

"So I'm thinking me and Sam should just go there and wait for him. We can follow him around, and hopefully he'll lead us to Elistarr."

"Sounds like a plan, son. You let me know if you need anything once you talk to Sam."

"Sure thing, Bobby. Hey, Grace?"

"Yeah."

"I need your help with something. I'm gonna call you on your cell so we don't keep Bobby's tied up."

"No problem. I have it right here."

"Later, Bobby."

Dean disconnected and Grace's phone rang a moment later.

"What's up?" she asked.

"What color underwear do you have on?"

Grace tried really hard to hide her shock and the big grin that was fighting to get through.

"Ummm... Yeah, I think I have that book up in my room. Give me a sec."

She said goodnight to Bobby and headed upstairs. Once her bedroom door was closed she put the phone back up to her ear.

"Are you crazy?!" she asked, half laughing.

"Probably. Answer the question."

"What makes you think I'm wearing any at all?"

Dean groaned. "You're killing me."

"Maybe you should come and do something about it."

"You know I can't."

"Why didn't you call sooner?"

"Honestly? So you and I don't blow our cover. Bobby's not our mother. We don't check in. Sometimes we don't get to talk to him for months, especially in surveillance situations. And if I would have called your phone directly it might have raised some flags. Not to mention this is the first time I've been alone for the past month."

There was silence for a moment, and then Dean whispered, "Say something that really makes me want to be there."

Grace laughed, "The no underwear thing wasn't enough?"

Dean let out a chuckle. "Fine, say something to let me know _you_ want _me_ there."

"What makes you think I want you here?"

"Call it a hunch," he said with a smile.

She hesitated, then closed her eyes and said very low, "My body _really_ misses your hands."

She heard him groan again, "Baby, my hands miss your body."

"The way they caress my face, and your fingers in my hair."

"What else," he whispered.

"The way they felt on my thighs the last time we were together. And I miss your lips."

They were quiet for a few minutes, lost in the memory of their last time together. Finally Dean spoke again.

"Do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you take a shower... imagine my hands."

Grace smiled, "I'll go take one right now."

"Awesome. I'll be thinking about you. Just keep that in mind. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She hung up the phone and grabbed a change of clothes. Dean thinking of her while she's taking a shower... he didn't have to tell her to keep that in mind. How could she get it out?

The next morning she was fixing breakfast when Bobby came in from outside.

"Mornin'"

"Mornin', Bobby. You want some?" she asked, motioning to the skillet.

"Naw, I ate already. Dean called again this morning. He and Sam were only about a day away last night when he called. They're headed here now. Should be here late tonight."

It was hard for her to hide her excitement, but she managed.

"I thought they were heading to the final stop for the demon?"

"Dean said something about needing help. They're probably gonna drag my tired, old ass to wherever they're goin'."

So, they weren't staying. Grace mentally scolded herself. What they were doing was important. Dean couldn't just be with her all the time.

She tried to distract herself for the rest of the day, unsuccessfully. It was a little after 10:30 when Sam came through the door with his duffel. Grace was sitting on the couch watching tv. Sam closed the door behind him. After a few minutes Grace had to ask.

"Where's Dean?"

"Downstairs trying to figure out what's making noise under the hood." He sat on the couch next to Grace. "What are you watching."

"Nothing on, really." She handed him the remote. She really wanted to see Dean, but she knew it would look weird for her to go out for no reason. A little later Sam had his feet up, and was starting to doze off when his phone rang.

"Yeah?... Okay, I'm coming." He turned to Grace as he got up. "Dean needs an extra flashlight."

Grace grabbed his arm. "I'll bring it to him."

"No, it's okay."

"Sam, you just got back from a month on the road. Just because Dean's not ready come inside from playing doesn't mean you can't. You rest... I'll get it."

She grabbed a flashlight and headed downstairs. Dean had his head under the hood. She walked up behind him and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"Did you enjoy the shower scene last night?"

He turned around and smiled at her. "You bet I did. When do I get to see the live show?" He reached out to pull her to him, but she backed up.

"What's wrong?"

"Your hands are covered in grease."

"So?"

"So... you'll ruin my clothes. Not to mention, if I walk back up there with grease stains all over, especially with where you like to put you hands..."

"Alright. Did you bring the flashlight?"

She held it up.

"Good. Come shine it right here for me."

Grace stayed with him until he finished working on the car. He used the outside faucet, and some cleaner Bobby kept handy outside to clean the grease from his hands. He walked over to Grace with an eye on the front door. He held is hands up in front of him.

"All clean."

"You know, seeing you under the hood, your hands all dirty... kinda hot."

He put his arms around her waist and kissed her. When she pulled back, he could tell something was wrong.

"You okay?"

"Bobby said you told him you needed help, and you were probably gonna drag him off with you."

"Yeah."

She pulled away from him.

"Dean, you can't leave me here by myself."

"Wait..."

"No. I've been in this house for months... _months_... with just an occasional trip to the store. The only time I didn't really mind being cooped up was while we were here together. But now you've been gone for a month."

"Grace..."

"I'm sure you found a girl or two to keep you company..."

"What?"

"But the only person I've been in contact with for more than two seconds is Bobby. And I love the guy, but..."

"Wait a minute!"

Grace finally stopped talking, and she saw the hurt look on Dean's face.

"First of all... I'm gonna need turpentine and a scrub brush to get _that_ image out of my head. Second, you think I was picking up women while I was on the road?"

"I don't know. Isn't that what you do when you're on the road?"

"Well, yeah, but not when I'm... Look, I might be a lot of things, but I don't cheat."

Grace blinked. "You would consider it cheating?"

The look he gave her was silently asking if she was stupid.

"Dean... Look, I didn't want to get all girly and have the 'where is this going' conversation, but it looks like we at least have to figure out where we are now."

Dean pulled her back into his arms and looked into her eyes.

"I don't really know where we are, but whatever it is that we have going on... It's just you and me. Even if we're apart for a while."

He kissed her gently on the lips.

"And we're not leaving you behind."

"No?"

"No... We were going to talk about it in the morning."

She grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He backed her up against the Impala and ran his hands down her torso. Her hands went to his pants, but he grabbed them.

"One of them is going to come out here if we stay gone much longer."

She moved her hands into his hair and kissed him one last time as he pulled away.

He motioned to the door. "You go in first. I need some time... to recover."

Grace laughed and grabbed the flashlight before heading back inside.


	12. Chapter 12

When Dean made his way back inside, Grace was back on the couch watching tv. Sam was next to her with his feet propped up on a stack of books, asleep. Bobby was at his desk going through mail. When Dean was sure Bobby wasn't looking, he winked at Grace.

"Well, Sammy's down for the count, but I slept most of the way here so I think I'll go work off some of this energy... hit the local bar."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," she said getting up from the couch.

Dean and Bobby both asked, "What?"

It kind of caught her off guard. Dean, of course, was trying to keep their secret. Bobby was seriously questioning her.

"What do you mean, 'what'?"

Bobby answered first. "I haven't seen you drink liquor once since I met you."

"You don't have to drink at a bar, Bobby. You can go and just be sociable."

"Haven't seen you do that, either."

Her mouth dropped open and Dean was laughing.

"Sorry, darlin', but you just ain't the sociable type."

"Not when I'm pinned up with a crusty old man and a five-year-old," she said, shooting a nasty look at Dean for laughing.

"Now don't go getting all emotional on me. I didn't mean it in a bad way, I just call it like I see it. The most socializing I've seen you do is when you're hovering over a book or computer with Sam... and that's more work than socializing."

"Well tonight I'm going to socialize. I have to get out for a little while," she said turning to Dean. "If that's okay with you?"

"You mean you want to come with me?!"

"Why not?"

"How about no chick will look at me twice if I walk in with you?"

"So we don't walk in together!"

Bobby shook his head, "Dean, you may as well take her."

"What?"

"She's a stubborn one. She'll keep you here all night arguing."

Grace smiled a great big smile at Dean.

"Fine... Let's go. But seriously, if I hook up..."

"Yeah, we'll work something out on the way there."

Grace waved goodbye to Bobby as she walked out. Dean followed, shaking his head. They got in the car and Dean pulled away. He was smiling.

"Sweetheart, you are one damn good liar."

"Only you would consider that a compliment... but I'll take it. So, where are we really going?"

"Well, I thought we could actually hit the bar for a few. Then, since this could be the last chance we have to be together for a while... there's a motel right next to the bar," he said grinning at her.

"Sounds good to me."

They rode on in silence for a few minutes, until a new song came on the radio and interrupted Grace's thoughts of the night to come. She looked at Dean who was quietly singing along.

"Dean, you know I love Ozzy, but this music doesn't quite have the mood we should be going for. This 'classic rock only' thing you have going on... you're missing out on some great songs for love-making."

"I don't wanna listen to that romantic crap."

"I'm not talking about the mushy, romantic stuff. I'm talking about sensual music."

"Like what?" he scoffed.

She scooted closer to him and sang low in his ear.

"Your most innocent kiss... Or your sweetest caress... Seduces me..."

Dean seemed intrigued. "Who sings that?"

"Celine Dion."

"Get out!" he said, dripping with sarcasm.

"Fine. You want another one?"

"Sure."

She leaned in close to his ear so he could feel her breath as she sang, "I don't... don't care if it's not right... to have your arms around me. I want... to feel what it's like. Take all of you inside of me."

She saw his hands grip tighter on the steering wheel and smiled.

"Want to know who sings that?"

"Don't care. What else you got?"

She thought really hard about what to sing next, but it didn't take long for the right song to hit her. Once again, she sang softly in his ear, but now she ran her hand over his thigh.

"Come closer, baby, closer. Reach out and feel my body. I'm gonna give you all my love. Ooh sugar don't you hurry. You've got me here all night. Just close your eyes and hold on tight. Ooh, baby, don't stop, don't stop. Go deeper, baby, deeper. You feel so good I'm gonna cry."

As she finished the last few words, Dean let out a breath and said, "Thank you!" His hands almost leaving the steering wheel."

"Are you okay?" Grace asked.

Dean pointed just ahead. "It's the motel."

Grace laughed. "I thought we were going to the bar first?"

"After what you just did to me? I don't think so... I've never been so happy to see a motel in my life."

He pulled in and parked the car. "Wait here."

Grace watched his exchange with the desk clerk through the window. Twice, Dean glanced back at her and shook his head. When he came back out he walked around to her side of the car and opened her door.

"Come on."

She locked the door as she got out, and they walked over to their room. Dean had his arm around her the whole way. Once they were inside, Dean checked the room, out of habit. Grace walked over to the bed, but didn't sit. When Dean finished his inspection he looked at Grace and started walking to her with slow strides.

"What was the line in the last one... about taking your time?"

She smiled at him and sang the lines again.

"Don't you hurry. You've got me here all night. Just close your eyes and hold on tight."

He pulled her into his arms as she sang the last line, and her voice faded as he kissed her neck.

"I love that," she said wrapping her arms around him, holding him close. He kissed his way up her neck and then captured her mouth. Her hands went to his face and slowly slid down to his chest. She started to move toward the bed and unbuttoned one button on his shirt when he grabbed her hands and broke their kiss.

"Hang on. Last time was fun, but I'm in control tonight, and I'm gonna take it nice and slow. We've got all night. Nowhere to be and nothing to do."

He laced their fingers together while he spoke, and looked so deeply into her eyes that it gave her butterflies. When he kissed her again she gave up all control. She was completely in his hands. He slowly backed her up to the bed, never breaking their kissing. When she couldn't step back any more he gently lowered her to the bed. He stepped out of his shoes while he removed hers. Then he crawled up her body until he had her lips again. While he kissed her, his hand found the bottom of her shirt. He slid his hand beneath the fabric and let it graze over her stomach. He felt her quiver.

"Tickles," she said, smiling against his lips.

He moved his hand to her side and let it glide up, pulling the shirt with him. He sat up to pull her shirt off over her head. She just slightly lifted her head and raised her arms to make it easier. As he pulled the shirt from her arms he held her wrists gently against the bed above her head. He kissed her hands, then slowly down her arms. She found herself wishing his shirt was off so she could kiss his chest as he slid back down her body, but he was in control here. His lips trailed across her collarbone and down her chest, down between her breasts, slowly down her stomach, until he reached her pants. It was the sweetest torture she'd ever felt. He undid her pants and stood to pull them from her legs. With his eyes constantly on hers, he removed his shirt and pants, then crawled back up her body, kissing her ankles and slowly making his way up her legs. This time, he didn't pause at her scar. He continued up her thighs, skipping over her hips, still in underwear. Back up over her stomach and between her breasts. Up her neck until he found her lips again. When his mouth was finally on hers again she almost couldn't take it. She moaned, and her breathing was heavier. Her hands went to the back of his neck, holding him to her as he tried to back away. He grinned, and kissed down to her ear where he whispered.

"I'm in control tonight, remember?"

"You're driving me crazy."

He turned over onto his back, pulling her on top of him. He slid his hands behind her back to undo her bra, then he kissed her shoulders as he slowly pulled the straps down. He sat up with her in his lap and the bra was gone. His hands now on her breasts, and his lips on hers, she started to move her hips in his lap, but quickly stopped, remembering that he was control. Stopping made her whimper against his mouth.

"It's okay," he whispered. "Do it... slow."

She did as she was told, but it took all of her will power to keep a slow pace as she felt him against her. She didn't understand how composed he looked, when she felt so frantic inside. She wanted him to take her, but she let him have his way.

He flipped her onto her back again, and started to remove her panties. He slid them from her legs, then removed his boxers. He gently pushed her knees apart and settled between them, his face hovering over hers. He stared into her eyes for what seemed like several minutes to Grace. His beautiful, green eyes, locked on hers. She touched his face and stared at his lips as she ran her thumb across them. He caught the tip of her thumb in his mouth and gently kissed it. When she looked back into his eyes, his mouth came down on hers and he slowly entered her body. He buried his face in her neck and her whole body shivered. They lay still for a moment, adjusting to the feeling of being completely together. When Dean started moving again Grace gripped the sheets. He reached over and took one of her hands in his, holding it against the bed.

He kept his slow pace long enough to make Grace think she would completely stop breathing. Between the gasping and the moaning she didn't know how she was getting any air. Dean's breathing got heavier too, and his pace quickened until he collapsed on top of her. She cradled his head against her chest as they both tried to catch their breath.

Eventually, he rolled onto his side and pulled her into him so that he was snuggled up behind her. His arm was draped over her, his hand running up and down her arm. She smiled at a memory of his hands.

"I have a confession to make," she said.

"Oh yeah?"

"Remember when you were teaching me to shoot?"

"How could I forget? You were awful at first."

"I wasn't as awful as you thought. I may have purposely messed up my grip, or my stance a few times so you would correct me. That first time you corrected my grip on the gun, that was legit... But you wrapped your arms around me and put your hands over mine... I wanted to feel that again."

"So... back then, huh?"

"Yeah. I wanted you then."

"You should have made a move," he said smiling.

"I didn't think it was the smartest thing to do... us working together, and I didn't know if you were interested in me at all."

"I was interested."

"Then why didn't you make a move?"

"Sweetheart, I did. I moved us all the way to the bedroom."

She turned to face him, and brushed her hand across his face.

"Oh yeah... how could I forget?"

"Maybe you need a reminder."

He buried his hand in her hair, pulling her lips to his. They made love again before falling asleep in each other's arms.


	13. Chapter 13

The alarm on Dean's watch went off at 5:00 am. He wanted to make sure they didn't oversleep, and was hoping to make it back to Bobby's before he or Sam woke up. Grace still hadn't learned to function well on so little sleep. She pulled her pillow over her head and whined. Dean pulled her close to him and ran his hand up and down her back.

"Is that supposed to make me want to get up?" she asked. "Because it's having the opposite effect."

When Dean didn't answer she turned to him. He had a serious look on his face, but he smiled at her.

"You okay?"

"I was just thinking... last night, even right now, knowing we have somewhere to be... I feel calm. Kind of at peace. I haven't felt like that in... Honestly, I don't think I've ever felt it before. I feel like having you in my life could fix me."

"You don't need to be fixed. There's nothing wrong with you."

"I'm a mess."

"You're hurt. Who could blame you? Look at everything you've been through... your entire life. You just need to let yourself heal. But you don't. You hold it all inside and try to take on the world on your own."

"See, that's what I mean. I'm not holding it in right now, am I? I don't talk about this stuff... not with Bobby or Sammy... but I feel like I can talk to you and you won't hold it against me."

"And you think Sam or Bobby would?"

"No. It's just different."

"How so?"

Dean just stared into her eyes. She could almost see him trying to find the words. The look on his face - He wanted to tell her something, but she didn't know what. So, she decided maybe it was time to tell _him_ something, and maybe it would help him open up. Or it would send him screaming out the door. There was really no way for her to know.

"Can I make another confession?"

"Are you going to tell me that you really knew how to shoot a gun the whole time?"

"No, but it's sort of related to last night's confession." She sat up, pulling the sheet close to her. Dean sat up too.

"Last night I told you about when I knew I was attracted to you, during our weapons training. Well, this one is about when you came into my room when you had the shifter in the basement... the night you told me about your time in Hell."

Dean just nodded.

"That was when I knew for sure... that I am in love with you." Grace stared into his eyes, but couldn't tell what he was thinking. It looked like he was trying to process what she told him, but failing.

"I'm not expecting you to feel the same way, or to say you love me too. I just thought you should know."

He was quiet, his eyes never leaving hers. She was becoming uncomfortable and was about to look away when he finally asked, "Did you feel me torturing you?"

"What?"

"I never asked, because I honestly didn't want to know. I really still don't, but I have to. Did you feel it?"

"Yes."

"Could you see it?"

"Yes."

"And you can still say that you're in love with me?"

"Yes."

He let out a deep breath. "That's how it's different. Sam is my brother. Bobby helped raise me, so he's like a dad, but you... You were a perfect stranger who I tortured. And you sit and listen to me talk about my horrible life... and you love me anyway. And you've never lied to me. I know you've told me things you didn't want to tell me, including what you just admitted to... But you told me. You could have lied, but you didn't."

"I know that honesty and trust are important to you, Dean. I won't lie to you."

"I think you get me better than anyone."

She looked down at the sheets and smiled. Dean lifted her face, and leaned over to kiss her. It was pure and sweet. Not sexual. He looked into her eyes for a moment and then got out of bed.

"We need to get going."

* * *

Back at Bobby's, they found Sam already awake. He stared at Grace as she walked in.

"I can't believe you stayed out all night."

"Technically I didn't. I got my own motel room. But I had these _really_ noisy neighbors that kept me up all night." She made a face and tilted her head toward Dean. Sam scrunched up his nose.

"Ugh, been there... Sorry." He turned to Dean, "Real classy, dude."

Dean threw his hands up. "I was just having fun. And it was her idea to tag along. Nobody made her go."

"Well, I'm exhausted... And hungry," Grace said.

"I'm with you on the hungry part," Dean said.

They grabbed something to eat from the kitchen. Bobby came down a bit later, and they started discussing the plan.

"We really need two teams on this one," Dean said. "Instead of me and Sam just heading to the end of the line, we think someone should be following this demon. We don't want to miss anything."

"So," Sam said, "We thought Bobby should go with Dean to the final stop and get things ready, while Grace and I follow the demon."

"Sounds good to me," Bobby said.

"Yeah," Grace said. "Sounds good." Dean was right. She didn't like that they would be apart for a while again.

Dean pulled out some papers and handed them to Grace.

"Sam was able to hack the demon's schedule, and got you two booked on the rest of his flights so you can keep an eye on him."

"These flights are booked under Mr. and Mrs. Paige," Grace said. She looked at Dean, then at Sam. Sam spoke up first.

"That was Dean's idea, to help keep us under the radar."

"Yeah," Dean said, "and if it looks like the demon is on to you two, just start making out or something." Dean winked at Grace, then looked at Sam. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do, Sammy."

"Well," Grace said, standing up, glaring at Dean, "that means we can do pretty much anything, doesn't it."

She started toward the stairs, and Dean called after her.

"Grace, come on, I'm kidding!"

"Yeah, you're a real riot, Winchester," she said as she went upstairs. "I'm going to pack."

They heard her bedroom door close, and Sam shook his head.

"Dude, I can't believe you said that."

"I was joking."

"Yeah, I know, but Grace isn't one of the guys. I think you offended her. You should go apologize to her."

Dean looked over at Bobby.

"Son, even I know you have to go up there."

Dean ran a hand over his face in frustration, then got up and headed to Grace's room. He knocked on the door.

"Grace, open up."

"I'm not really in the mood to talk to you right now," she said through the door.

Dean tried the door knob... locked. "Come on, Grace, this is ridiculous."

The door flew open. "You know what's ridiculous? The words that came out of your mouth downstairs."

She turned back to her suitcase and kept packing. Dean walked in and shut the door behind him.

"You know I'm just trying to keep our cover going," Dean said in a hushed voice.

"Well, job well done. I think you just set the record for the length of time it takes to make someone go from not wanting to leave your side to wanting to punch you in the face."

"What the hell..."

"You told Sam to make out with me!"

"He would never do it! It was a joke!"

She stood in front of him and lowered her voice. "Shouldn't the idea of the woman you're sleeping with making out with your brother creep you out a bit?"

"I was just messing with Sam... but, when you put it that way..." He made a face. "I honestly still don't understand why this is upsetting you so much."

"Dean," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, "I told you I love you this morning... and a few hours later you tell your brother to make out with me. It wasn't exactly flattering."

"I only said it because it's what I would have said if we weren't together. If Sam and Bobby knew about us I never would have said that."

"Maybe we should tell them. It would be a lot easier."

Dean shifted his weight and shook his head. "I'm, uh... I'm not ready."

"Honestly... neither am I." She put her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. "I just wish it were easier."

Dean sat next to her and put his arm around her.

"I'm sorry I got so upset," she said. "I think a big part of it is just that I'm tired." She lifted her head to look at him, "And the fact that you were being an ass didn't help."

"I guess I deserve that. Are you okay with going with Sam? I mean, you know how I feel about flying."

"I know. I'm fine with it." She stood and turned back to packing. Dean got up and headed for the door.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"What would you have said to Sam... If he did know about us?"

"Really?"

"Humor me."

He walked back over to her and put his arms around her waist.

"I would have told him to look out for you, and that if anything happened to you he would have to answer to me."

Grace smiled at him. He leaned in to kiss her, but stopped.

"Have you forgiven me enough that it's okay for me to kiss you?"

"Definitely."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for the feedback, follows, and favorites. I really appreciate it. This one is a bit shorter. I'll try to make it up in the next chapter.**

After the plan was discussed in full, they headed out. Dean and Bobby each took their own cars. They would need two later. Dean dropped Sam and Grace at the airport, and they took a flight out to get to the next city they knew the demon would be. The flight was an hour and a half, so they had plenty of time to talk. Sam made sure she was okay after her argument with Dean.

"Dean said he apologized... are you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Honestly, I over-reacted. I was just too tired to deal with his adolescent crap."

"I know the feeling. How did you two get along on your own while me and Bobby were gone?"

"Fine... once I took away his Eastwood movies."

Sam laughed, "Yeah, he did tell me you like John Wayne. He was impressed."

Grace glanced at him. She didn't know Dean had told Sam anything about the time they spent alone.

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"Uhhhh... He was pretty stoked that you like classic rock, so he told me that. But I already knew that. I've heard you humming while we do research." He smiled at her, and she decided that it was time to tell Sam what she had already told Dean. She chose her words carefully, in case the people around them could hear.

"There's something that I told Dean... I guess he decided to let me tell you myself. Ummm... do you remember how you told me all about your mom and Jess and... everything else?"

"Yeah."

"I already knew."

"You knew?"

"Yeah. That... person... that was keeping me company when I met you guys?"

"Yeah?" Sam said, catching that she meant the demon.

"She told me a lot of things about you and Dean... A lot of things."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I didn't want to freak you out."

"So, what made you tell Dean?"

"He called me on it, actually. Since I called both of you by name before you really introduced yourselves... He wanted to know what else I knew about you."

When they landed they had a couple of hours before the next flight. The demon would be on that flight. They got a quick bite to eat there in the airport, keeping an eye out. They saw the demon arrive not long before it was time to board. They let a few passengers board after the demon, then they got on.

After an uneventful flight they rented a car and followed the demon to an office building. They stayed in the car, parked far enough away to stay out of sight. They weren't about to go in. The place could be crawling with demons, or worse... shifter-demons.

For five days they followed the demon with nothing to show for it. The good news was that the demon wasn't killing anyone. Sam called Dean before they boarded the plane to their final destination. Bobby would pick them up at the airport.

Bobby was waiting for them when they landed. They followed the demon again to another office building.

"You think Elistarr is here?" Sam asked.

"No clue," Bobby said, "but it's likely."

Sam called Dean and gave him the location. Dean pulled his car up behind Bobby's and walked over. He opened Grace's door.

"Let's go."

Grace got out of the car and Dean shut the door. Sam rolled down his window.

"Six hours, Dean, and you two have to relieve us. No bars."

"Dude, I'm not a child!"

Dean drove them back to the motel where he and Bobby had rented two rooms. Dean knew Grace would be more comfortable with her own room and, if he was honest with himself, he wanted to have a place for them to be alone together if they all ended up at the motel at the same time. Though that wasn't likely. Dean and Grace would relieve Sam and Bobby in six hours. After that, it would be twelve-hour shifts.

Dean helped Grace carry her bags into her room. Once they were in, and the bags were down, Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her into a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight, but she pulled away from the kiss.

"Dean... six hours. Even less now. I actually need those hours to be sleep."

"Okay. How about I go to my room and shower. You do whatever you need to do. I'll come back here, and we can sleep."

"Or you could shower here..."

A big grin formed on Dean's face. "Or I could shower here."

She put her key in his hand. "You go get whatever you need for the night, and you can join me when you get back."

He gave her a quick kiss and headed out the door. When he got back to her room the bathroom door was slightly open, and he could hear the water running. He stripped his clothes off and stepped in the back of the shower. Grace was facing the shower head. She had already quickly washed her hair, and was just rinsing the soap from her body. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she leaned back into him. She let out a moan as his hands slid across her stomach.

"That feels just like I imagined," she said as she put her hands on top of his. His mouth was right by her ear.

"Oh yeah," Dean smiled. "I almost forgot about that. So... how did that go, exactly?"

"You want the play-by-play?"

"Uh huh... and I'll do the replay."

"Well, it started a lot like this. You kissed my neck and let your hands rest on my hips."

Dean did what she said, and she leaned into his kiss. With his mouth still on her neck, he whispered, "Keep going."

"You turned me around..."

He did it.

"...and ran your hands up and down my back..."

He did it.

"...still kissing my neck."

Dean smiled at her, "You really like that, don't you?"

"You have no idea."

His mouth was on her neck again, and she had both hands in his hair.

"And then your mouth went lower."

He pulled back and looked at her. She was sort of blushing, which drove him crazy. How could she seem so innocent while doing what they were doing? He lowered his mouth to her breast and felt her push herself against him.

"Where are my hands now?" he asked.

He got no response, so he looked up. The look on her face was a lot like their second night together. Pure passion, but now it showed hesitation. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, and he knew what she wanted, but wouldn't ask for. He reached down and gently moved his fingers back and forth. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened, but no sound came out. He continued kissing her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight, one leg rising up and hooking around his waist. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her. They locked eyes and stayed that way until her body was trembling so hard she buried her face in his neck.

His lips found hers, and her foot found the floor again. As they were kissing, the water began to turn cold. They had stayed longer than they meant to.

"Great," Dean said, "a cold shower."

Grace quickly got out and wrapped a towel around herself, while Dean finished up. Grace put on panties and a t-shirt. Dean put on a pair of boxers. They crawled under the covers and Dean pulled her close.

She rubbed a hand across his face and smiled. "I'm sorry you didn't get a turn."

"That's okay. There will be many, many... many more opportunities," he said with a grin.

Grace laughed and laid her head on his chest. They were soon asleep, and were able to get about four good hours.


	15. Chapter 15

Grace was a little excited and nervous. She had never done anything like a stakeout. Getting the car packed, Dean told her it would be one of the most boring things she ever did.

"Just a lot of sitting and waiting. If there's anything you want to talk about in-depth, this would be the time to do it, 'cause we'll have lots of time."

"In depth, huh? Did you have anything in mind?"

"Nah... I just know how women are with that touchy-feely talking crap."

She dropped her mouth open in playful shock, "Oh, really? In all this time I've known you now, when have I ever bothered you wanting to have a touchy-feely conversation?"

Dean raised an eyebrow, "You know... never." He gave her a quick kiss and closed the trunk. "You're a great girlfriend." He climbed into the driver's seat. Grace smiled as she opened her door. Girlfriend. She wouldn't make a big deal out of it. She knew it would only push him away a little if she did. He would sort through his feelings in his own way, and in his own time. She would just make sure she was there when he did. For now, she reveled in the fact that she was Dean Winchester's girlfriend. Even if no one knew it but her.

Grace called Sam to let him know she and Dean were on their way to relieve him and Bobby.

"We're actually on the move right now," Sam said. "I think he's headed back to the office building though, so keep going that way."

Grace relayed the message to Dean then put Sam on speaker so he could fill them in.

"So far he's only come out of the building with one other person. Looks like his assistant. Always carrying a ton a crap and walking one step behind."

"Possessed?" Dean asked.

"No clue... Wait a sec. Dean, you're a few cars ahead of our guy. Pull onto a side road somewhere and swing back so he doesn't pass your car."

"Got it."

Dean made the first right he could and backtracked to the main road.

"Alright, Sammy, I see you. Got a few cars between us. I'll pull up behind you when you stop."

"Good."

"So, where did this demon go?"

"There's a warehouse a few miles from here. He spent a few hours there."

"Doing what?"

"Don't know. Bobby and I are going back to see if we can get a closer look."

The demon turned into the parking lot of the office building. Bobby pulled over to the side of the road, and Dean followed. No one got out.

"Alright, man. You two be careful."

"We will."

Bobby pulled off and Dean pulled the Impala up to where Bobby's car had been. He shut off the engine and slouched a bit in his seat.

"Now we wait."

The demon didn't emerge again until it was time to go home. They followed and parked a block away on the opposite side of the street. They saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"It's almost scary when demons aren't just causing random death and destruction," Dean said. "They have a serious plan here, and they don't want to draw attention to it. This guy is boring. Walking around like your average business man."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Grace asked.

"Not really sure. Just something that leads us to Elistarr. It's a pretty safe bet he's in that building, but we can't just go charging in there yet. We need to be sure he's there."

"So why don't we go back and watch that building?"

"We might do that, but right now we know this guy is involved, and we know where he is... So, we watch him."

They were silent for a while, which gave Grace some time to think... which made her panic a little.

"Ummm... Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"What if I have to go to the bathroom?"

"This is why women shouldn't do this," he said, sort of to himself.

"Don't be a sexist pig. I'm serious."

"Well, Sam and I will usually take a walk and duck behind a tree or something."

She turned in her seat, looking around. The last gas station she remembered was at least five miles back. This area had lots of houses, close together. Not too many street lights, and most of the houses were starting to go dark for the night.

"I guess I'll have to do that too."

He looked at her in surprise.

"What?" she asked.

He started grinning. "Who knew you were such a badass?"

The hours passed very slowly. Dean and Grace found themselves singing a lot. One of them would start humming, and then the other would pick up on it, and pretty soon they would be singing together. It kept them awake, and they were actually enjoying themselves a little.

Dean's cell rang at 4:00 am. Sam called to tell him that he and Bobby were on their way.

"We still have a couple more hours here," Dean said.

"Yeah, we know, but you two probably didn't get more than four or five hours sleep, right? And Bobby's worried Grace hasn't adjusted to the no sleep thing yet."

"No, I don't think so," Dean said.

"So, we'll take over a little early on this one, and you still get twelve hours."

Dean told him where to find the house. When Bobby pulled up, Dean pulled out. He kept his lights off until they were off the block.

Back at the motel, Dean went with Grace into her room. He sat on the bed then laid back, his feet still on the floor and his arms spread out. Grace climbed over him, kneeling on the bed. With her legs straddling his hips, she sat and then lowered her head to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I had no idea that just sitting in a car and doing nothing could be so exhausting," she said.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, and Grace felt herself dozing off when Dean spoke.

"I'm gonna go take a shower."

Grace reluctantly lifted herself up and rolled to her side. Dean kissed her as he got up. He grabbed her key and said, "I'll be back," as he walked out. Grace decided she could use a shower too. When she came out of the bathroom Dean was already laying in her bed, eyes closed. She crawled in next to him and curled up against his side, her head against his shoulder and a hand on his chest. His hand reached up and held hers. She was starting to doze off again when he turned his face into her hair and said very softly, "I love you, Grace."

"I love you, too."


	16. Chapter 16

Grace slowly drifted out of sleep. The memory of Dean whispering "I love you" kept playing as she went from sleep to consciousness and back again. It was during one of those trips to the conscious world that she realized she didn't feel Dean next to her. She reached over and felt the empty bed. She glanced at the reflection of the bathroom in the mirrored closet. The door was open and the light was out. No Dean. She started to panic as the thought of him regretting his words the night before came to her mind. She sat up and turned to where he should be laying. There was a piece of paper there instead. She lifted it and read, "Went for food. Back soon." She sighed in relief. She knew he probably didn't wake her because he wanted to avoid a morning-after-I-love-you conversation, but at least he hadn't just bolted. She laid the note back on the bed and went into the bathroom. When she came out a few minutes later she fought with herself over whether to get dressed or get back in bed. The bed won.

She was laying on her side, facing the door, when Dean came back in. He smiled at her and put a couple of takeout bags on the small table by the window.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

We walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, picking her hand up and holding it.

"How'd you sleep?"

She smiled up at him, "I slept great."

"Good."

Silence stretched out for a while before he got up and walked back to the table.

"I got us some pancakes and bacon. I hope that's okay?"

"That's fine... Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to be all awkward with me now?"

"I'm not..."

"Yes, you are," she interrupted.

He sighed and looked down at the table.

"I'm just not good at this. I haven't been in this situation... ever."

"Neither have I, Dean." She watched him for a minute. He still hadn't looked at her. "I'm going to tell you something similar to what you told me our first night together... Did you mean it when you said you love me?"

He looked at her now, "Yes."

She smiled, "And I meant it when I said it. It's that simple. Don't complicate it. Nothing else needs to be said. We don't have to have some long talk about our feelings, we just have to be together. Nothing has changed, except now we both know how we feel... That's it."

Dean sat next to her again. Nothing else needed to be said. He placed his hand on her face and kissed her very softly. He pulled back and his thumb brushed over her cheek.

"There is one thing you should know, though," Grace said.

"What's that?"

"Now that I know you love me too, and that it won't send you running and screaming... You're going to hear the words 'I love you' more often."

Dean smiled at her. "You hungry?"

"Very."

"Good. Let's eat."

As they ate, they talked about the case, though there wasn't much to say. They had no new information, except for the warehouse Sam and Bobby discovered. They still hadn't given a report on that. When they finished eating, Dean removed his shoes and jacket and flopped down on the bed, crossing his ankles and his arms. Grace gathered up their trash and threw it away.

"So," she said, "we have about three hours left. What do you want to do?"

He smiled, patting the empty space next to him. She climbed on the bed and snuggled close to his side as he wrapped an arm around her.

"This is nice," she said.

"It could be nicer."

The tone of his voice told her what he meant. She didn't even need to see his face. She let her hand run over his thigh. As she leaned up to kiss him he pulled her on top of him and wrapped both arms around her. Her mouth moved to his neck and his eyes closed.

There was a loud knock at the door. Dean let out a low growl and yelled.

"Go away!"

"Dean?" Sam's voice called through the door. "Open the damn door!"

"Crap."

Grace quickly grabbed some clothes and ducked into the bathroom. Dean gave her a second before he let Sam and Bobby in. Sam didn't seem happy.

"What the hell is going on?"

Dean gave him a confused look, "What are you talking about?"

"Neither of you are answering your phones!"

"They weren't ringing, Sammy!" Dean walked over to the table and lifted his phone. "Well, mine is dead."

"That's great, Dean."

Grace walked out of the bathroom, "What's all the commotion? What are you two doing here?" she asked looking at Sam and Bobby.

"Where is your phone?"

"It's in my purse, in the closet."

Sam ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "Okay, Grace... When we're working a job, you have to have your phone available at all times."

"What's going on?" she asked.

Dean answered, "They were trying to call. You couldn't hear yours and mine is dead."

Bobby looked at Grace and spoke more calmly, "Sam was worried that something happened to you two."

"Well, we're fine," Dean said. "What's up?"

"We followed our guy back to that warehouse and were able to get close enough to use the listening equipment... They have shifters locked up in there, Dean."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Looks like they wanted to make sure this worked and that they have enough shifters on hand to possess a whole lot at once and hit a bunch of hunters before we even know what's going on."

"How many do they have now?"

"We don't know, but they were talking about getting more before it starts."

"They're not ready," Bobby said, "which gives us time to get ready. We have to get the word out to other hunters, pronto. We can do that best back at my place."

"What about Elistarr?" Grace asked. "Shouldn't we focus on finding him and stopping this?"

"We got jack-squat on Elistarr, and he's hidin' good. We have to get the word out first, then we can focus on Elistarr again."

Dean looked at Grace. "He's right. If we can't get to Elistarr in time to stop this... it'll be bad."

"Okay... I'll get packed."

"One more thing," Bobby said. "Until we get back to the house, no separating. If one car stops, the other stops. If one of us pees, we all pee."

"Sounds like fun," Grace said.

Dean grinned at her and said, "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll be your pee buddy."

She landed a solid punch to his shoulder as she walked by him on her way to the closet.

"Ow!"

Sam couldn't help but laugh, and Dean shot him an annoyed look. Bobby ignored them all and kept talking.

"It also means that if we stop for a motel on the way home, we all share the same room."

Grace walked back toward him, "Aww, Bobby, come on!"

He held his hand up and kept going, "And once we get back home we only leave the house if absolutely necessary. If we do leave, we do the silver knife/holy water test when we get back. We're playing this safe."

They all packed and loaded the cars. Bobby had parked right next to the Impala, on the driver's side. Grace went back in her room to do a quick double-check, making sure she didn't leave anything behind. When she came back out Sam was climbing into the passenger seat of Dean's car.

"You're riding with Dean?" she asked.

"Yeah, you coming?"

"If you're riding with Dean I'm gonna ride with Bobby. He shouldn't drive alone for two days."

Bobby leaned on the hood of his car with the door open. "You don't have to worry about me, darlin'. Wouldn't be the first time I drove alone riding with these two."

"Yeah, but there's an extra person now. Do you want some company?"

"Might actually be nice."

Grace smiled at him and walked to the passenger side of Bobby's car. Dean was still standing outside of the Impala. Sure no one could see with them standing between the cars, he grabbed her thumb as she walked by, and gave it a light squeeze. She didn't look back at him, but he saw a slight smile as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

Once they were on the road, Sam started asking questions.

"Why were you in Grace's room, anyway?"

"I went out and got us some food. We had just finished a few minutes before you got there."

"Did you sleep in her room?"

Dean thought quick. Sam usually made the beds before he left the room, and he did notice when he went to the room to shower that both beds were made. Dean never made the beds. Sam knew it.

"Yeah, I did."

That's all he said. Too much more and he would sound defensive.

"Dude, I thought the whole point of getting her a separate room was for her to have privacy?"

"Sorry, man, I was tired. I just crashed. She must have been okay with it. She didn't wake me up."

Sam didn't ask anymore questions, but Dean knew they'd have to be really careful now if they wanted to keep their relationship private. He'd also have to grab her to fill her in on the story he told Sam, just in case. Question was, how?

Bobby and Grace had their own discussion going.

"That was nice punch you landed on Dean back there."

"Thanks," she said with a smirk.

"I'm really surprised you two haven't killed each other yet, spending so much time together in close quarters."

"Eh... Dean's not really so bad. It's actually better just me and him. He becomes more obnoxious when he's around more people. That's when he gets punched. Not to mention I've had my own room, so there's some separation."

"Not last night, though."

"Huh?"

"Dean slept in your room."

Grace smiled at him. "How did you know that?"

"Dean is kind of a slob when he knows he doesn't have to clean it himself. When we got back the room was almost exactly like we left it... He didn't sleep there. Plus, he was in your room when we got back. 2 + 2..."

"You are good."

"Well?" Bobby waited for an answer.

"Well... He checked my room every time we got back. We were both so tired. He just flopped on the bed and crashed so I left him there. To tell the truth, I felt a little safer knowing he was right there."

Bobby just nodded. She knew they would have to be a lot more careful now. She would also have to fill Dean in on the story she told Bobby... Just in case.


	17. Chapter 17

It was after midnight when Bobby called Dean to find the next motel. Grace offered to drive while he slept, but Bobby wanted to lay down and the car he brought didn't have much of a back seat.

Dean went in and rented a room with two queen size beds. The others were already pulling the couple of bags they would need for the night from the cars.

"Well," Dean said, "I tried to get a roll away bed too, but they don't have any."

Once in the room, Grace asked the obvious question.

"How are we working the sleeping arrangements?"

Bobby claimed his bed by laying down. "I don't care who shares with me so long as they keep still."

"Well, that leaves me out," Grace said. "I never wake up the way I went to sleep."

"Alright, Sammy," Dean said. "The usual?"

They got in position for Rock, Paper, Scissors.

"Winner shares with Bobby," Dean said.

"Excuse me," Grace interrupted. "That implies that the loser has to share with me."

Sam answered, "In his defense, you did just admit that you toss and turn a lot."

"Fine. While you two figure out who's stuck with me, I get the bathroom first."

When Grace came out of the bathroom, Sam's bag sat on the edge of Bobby's bed and Dean was laying sprawled out on top of the other. He smiled up at her.

"It's you and me, sweetheart."

"I'm overjoyed," she said, her voice flat. Inside, she was smiling.

Sam got the bathroom next, then Dean. Bobby was already out cold. When Dean was done, Sam and Bobby were in the middle of a snoring contest, having been up since before dawn. Grace had her head buried under the pillow when Dean climbed in bed next to her. She heard him laugh, and removed the pillow.

"It's not funny. I'll never get to sleep."

"Sam only snores when he's really tired. He should stop in a little while. Bobby's another story. That'll be all night."

They lay facing each other. Grace's hand was up by her pillow. Dean reached up and held it in his.

"So... you lost, huh?"

"Sam thinks I did," Dean whispered. "I hardly ever win against Sam with Rock, Paper, Scissors. That's why I said winner shares with Bobby. I knew I'd lose. And when I lost... I won."

"Very smart, sir. And speaking about what people think, I think Bobby is suspicious."

"Of us?"

She nodded. "He straight out asked me if you slept in my room last night. Actually, it was more like he told me you did. He waited for an explanation. I told him we were both tired and you just crashed after checking my room out, and I left you there... that I felt safe knowing you were right there."

"Sam questioned me too."

"Really?"

"Yep. And I told him pretty much the same thing. I just crashed and you never woke me up so you must have been okay with it. Then I went out for food and we just finished before they got back."

"And I thought we were being so careful."

"They both have very good eyes... I think it was the beds in our room that gave it away. Sam always makes the beds, and I don't. Since I didn't sleep there, they were still made."

Grace quickly made the connection. "Bobby did say the room was too close to how they left it."

"There ya go."

"Will they ever stop snoring?"

"I could throw a pillow at Sammy... see if that helps."

She giggled, "No, don't do that. I mean, as long as they're snoring we're kind of alone, right?"

"Right," he said as he leaned in for a kiss. His hand made its way into her hair as her hand rested against his chest.

Grace pulled away with a sigh. "This is very weird with them in the next bed."

Dean grinned at her, "Kinda kinky."

"Yeah, well, I don't go for that sort of thing."

"Too bad." His grin started to fade. "Seriously though, you do realize that this is as alone as we're going to get for a while, right?"

"I know. Even tonight, we probably shouldn't hold each other."

"Probably not," he said with a grin. "Good way to get busted if one of them wakes up first."

"I'm gonna miss your arms around me. Maybe it would have been easier if you were sharing with Bobby. You know, that was part of the reason I drove with Bobby once I saw that Sam was riding with you. The way they interrupted us..."

Dean growled again, "Yeah, that sucked. Never did get my turn."

Grace let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, well, I knew I was still too wound up to ride in the same car with you if we had a chaperone. It would have been torture. And Sam probably would have caught a few stolen glances."

"Me checking you out in the mirror."

"Yeah," Grace smiled. She placed her hand along his jawline and brushed her thumb over his cheek. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Dean didn't answer, he just smiled as she stared into his eyes.

"The man who saved me. The man who understands me, and makes me feel so safe."

"I could say the same thing about the woman in front of me." He kissed her again. An "I love you" barely escaped her lips in a breathy whisper between kisses.

They froze when Sam's snoring stopped. Dean turned to look at his brother... still asleep.

"I guess that's a wrap." He gave her one last quick kiss. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Dean turned to face away from Grace, and she did the same. They lay back to back, still with contact, but slightly less temptation.

Dean was right about Bobby's snoring. It never stopped. Sam and Dean seemed unphased by it, but it kept Grace up most of the night. When they started waking up the next morning she was a bit grumpy.

"I can't wait to get back to the house where I have my own room," she said as she packed.

Sam seemed a little sympathetic. "You didn't get any sleep at all?"

"Maybe a couple of hours, completely broken up."

"Sorry."

"Hey, you eventually stopped. It was the human buzz saw over there that kept me awake," she said, motioning to Bobby.

"Well, excuse me for breathin'."

"You can blame your noisy breathing for your lonely trip home... I'm stretching out on Dean's back seat the rest of the way."

Dean walked out the door shaking his head. He had to remember not to mess with her when she was low on sleep. He put his bag in the trunk. Sam walked up behind him and tossed his in.

"Dean, I'm gonna ride with Bobby so Grace can have some quiet."

"Come on, dude, she'll be fine."

"I know, but I feel bad for keeping her up. It'll be better if we're not talking the whole time she tries to sleep."

"You know she's going to feel bad for making you feel bad..."

"Yeah, I know," Sam laughed.

"Women."

Dean was right. Grace tried to talk Sam into riding with her and Dean, but his mind was made up. She climbed into the back of the Impala with her duffle full of clothes, which she used as a pillow.

Once they pulled off, Dean spoke up. "Well, we're alone."

"And wouldn't you know I'm too tired to appreciate it?" she said facing the back seat, her head by the passenger side door.

"You mind if I pop in a cassette?"

"Bad Company."

Dean nodded and smiled, "Bad Company it is."


	18. Chapter 18

Grace woke up to Dean singing "Oh, Atlanta." She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Dean looked back and smiled at her.

"Good morning!"

"How long was I out?"

"Few hours."

"And you're still listening to the same album?"

"Well, I figured you picked them 'cause it was something you could sleep to. I didn't want to switch it out with something that would wake you up."

Grace leaned forward, folding her arms across the top of the front seat.

"That's so sweet, I'd kiss you if I didn't think Sam and Bobby would see it back there."

She fished her hairbrush out of the side pocket of her duffel.

"We'll need to make a stop soon."

"No problem. I need gas anyway. Give them a call to let them know."

When they made their stop Grace moved to the front seat for the rest of the trip. She looked through Dean's music collection while he and Sam went in to pay and get some things. Finding the Zeppelin cassette she was looking for, she pushed it in and found the song she wanted. She pushed 'stop' and waited for Dean to return.

He climbed behind the wheel and handed her a drink and a bag of chips.

"You ready?"

"Yep."

Once Dean pulled out of the station, Grace hit 'play' and Dean immediately recognized 'Ramble on.'

"Hey," he smiled. "My favorite."

"I know."

Dean let his hand slide from the wheel to the seat, then over to Grace. She reached over and held it, smiling as she looked out of the window at the passing scenery. She couldn't remember ever being so happy and content, which seemed odd to her considering the life she was now living. Even more odd considering the situation they were facing with the shifter-demons... possible annihilation of all hunters, with the man she loved at the top of their hit list. Add to it the fact that she only met Dean because she had gotten possessed... it baffled her that she could be so happy. Still, she was. She hoped that Dean felt the same kind of happiness that she did.

They pushed on and made it back to Bobby's a little after 1:00 am. They all crashed and got a good night's sleep. By 9:00 the next morning they were up, fed, and ready to make some phone calls. They split up Bobby's contact lists and went to work. Bobby at his desk, Sam on the couch, Dean pacing around the room, and Grace at the table in the kitchen.

By 10:00, Grace was frustrated.

"Bobby, do any of the people on these lists actually like you?"

Dean, who had just hung up from a call, laughed.

"I'm serious! I feel like a telemarketer. I just mention Bobby and they hang up on me... if I'm lucky! The string of words that came out of that last guy's mouth..." She shook her head.

"You're not the only one getting hung up on...," Dean said. "Or cursed out. Once we're done we'll switch lists and call again. Eventually they'll get that it's serious. Just takes time."

"Why don't these people like you," Grace asked Bobby.

"They met me."

"Well, I met you... and I like you."

"You would be in the minority."

Dean leaned over and whispered to Grace, "Even the ones that don't really like him... they respect him for what he knows. Or they owe him a favor."

"What if they don't listen?"

"They will."

By late afternoon they had talked to about half of the people on Bobby's lists. They told the hunters to spread the word and to take precautions. A lot of the hunters wanted more information, but Bobby told them not to give too much out. They didn't mention Elistarr, or the warehouse, or even what town they had been in. An army of hunters, all working individually, converging on that warehouse would be a disaster. It would also play right into the demons' hands. The hunters would kill each other without hesitation, suspecting the others of being shifters.

When they broke for dinner they talked about what their next move should be. Grace joined Sam on the couch. Dean took his usual seat in front of Bobby's desk.

"I think we should just blow the place up," Dean said.

"We don't know enough about what's happening in there," Sam said. "We need to get inside and see for ourselves."

"And it may slow 'em down." Bobby said, "but who's to say they don't have more warehouses like that in other places across the country?"

Grace stared at the floor. "This is so bad."

"We've been up against worse," Bobby said.

"Yeah... but I haven't."

Sam took Grace's hand in his. "Look, I won't tell you not to worry, but you can't let it overwhelm you. If you think about it that way you won't be able to see a way out."

Grace gave him a weak smile. He put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze as she continued to stare at the floor. Dean watched his brother comfort Grace. He wished it were him, but what could he do? Push Sam off the couch and put his arm around her? He was beginning to think it was stupid to keep their relationship a secret now. They had both confessed their love for each other. He knew for sure that he would die for her, as quickly as he would die for Sam or Bobby. And there was no going back. He couldn't see his life any longer without Grace in it.

"So," Dean said, "Elistarr is still the key here, right?"

"Right." Bobby said.

"Then when he the books some more."

Sam looked at Dean as if an alien had taken over his body. "If Dean is suggesting research then it must really be out last hope."

Grace lifted her head, a look of revelation on her face.

"Does anyone actually read Latin?"

"I do," Sam and Bobby said at the same time.

Grace went over to one of her book piles and grabbed a few.

"When Dean and I were here doing research I came across these. I scanned through them, looking at the pictures and diagrams. Some of them looked pretty interesting, but I couldn't read any of it so I put them aside." She opened one of the books to a page she marked. "Look at this."


	19. Chapter 19

Bobby took the book and glanced at the picture. It was a drawing of a creature standing in what looked very similar to a devil's trap. Its eyes were blacked out.

"That does look interesting," he said.

They stared at him while he read silently through the surrounding pages. He finally glanced up and smiled at Grace.

"It's a spell... how a demon can possess a monster."

"You're kidding?" Sam asked.

"Nope. It says that demons can't possess monsters randomly, like they can with humans. A spell actually has to be performed, but just once. It takes a very powerful demon."

"Elistarr," Dean said.

"That would be my guess. Once that demon possesses a monster, it's like it opens up a pathway, and demons can start possessing any of its kind. In this case, a shifter."

He gave them a minute to take in the new information before he continued.

"The good news is, it's not permanent. That first demon has to stay inside the monster. If it leaves the vessel, the spell is broken."

"They won't be able to possess shifters any more," Sam said.

"Exactly."

"Well, I was already attacked by a shifter-demon," Dean said. "So, they've already done the spell."

"That's why we can't find Elistarr," Grace said. "They're keeping him safe to make sure he stays in his vessel."

"That makes sense," Sam said. "That office building looked pretty secure."

"That's gotta be where he is," Dean added.

"There's more," Bobby said. "Even after the spell, the monsters are hard to take over. This says the closer the first possessed monster is, the easier the rest will be to take."

"The warehouse," Sam said.

"The warehouse," Bobby agreed. "If Elistarr's not there now, that's where he goin'."

"That's the mass possession my demon was talking about," Grace said. "All those shifters at once."

Bobby nodded. "I made another connection earlier while we were makin' phone calls. Each of the cities that lackey demon flew into has heavy hunter presence."

"They're sending possessed shifters to those cities," Sam said.

"Probably a safe bet."

"Well," said Grace, "what Dean said is still true. Elistarr is the key. We have to get him out of the shifter."

"No," Bobby said. "You have to kill him. Remember, this is one badass demon. You make it so he can come back, he will... with a vengeance... and we'll be at the top of his list."

"Ok," Dean said, "we do this right. We take out the shifter first. Agreed?"

"Definitely," Sam said. "Take away the ability to shift into one of us."

"And," Dean said, "we're gonna have to go back there and stakeout that office building... and the warehouse. Elistarr's in one of them."

Sam nodded, "I should be able get blueprints of both buildings."

As Sam and Dean started making a list of supplies they would need for better surveillance, and eventually getting into one of those buildings unseen, Grace's head started swimming.

"I need some air," she said as she stood and headed toward the front door.

"No one leaves...," Bobby called after her, but she closed the door behind her on her way out.

Dean got up. "I'll stay with her."

"The point was to stay inside."

"We'll be fine, Bobby. I have my phone in my pocket. I'll see if I can get her to sit in the car with the windows rolled down. On the off chance a shifter-demon is lurking around out there I'll take off and call. Ok?"

"Smart ass."

Dean opened the door to leave and Bobby yelled after him.

"You two are still gettin' cut with a silver knife, boy!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Outside, Dean found Grace leaning against the corner of the house, staring up at the sky. It was a clear night.

"You okay?" he asked, standing behind her. He had his hands in his pockets, and he leaned against the house just like Grace.

"The night sky has always had a calming effect on me. Especially on a clear night like this... I feel so small... but not in a bad way. Not insignificant small. It's like... this whole gigantic universe is out there and I have just this little spot on this little spinning rock, and I can do some great things. Imagine the great things out there. And I don't feel like I'm here by accident or random chance. When I look up there, I feel like I can almost see my purpose here. I know I'm where I'm supposed to be."

"You get all that from star gazing?"

Grace smiled at him. He took her hand and led her around to the side of the house where the Impala was parked. He sat on the trunk and slid back to lean against the rear window.

"Come on," he said, waving his hand for her to come up.

"I've never seen you sit on your car," she laughed.

"Rare occasions. Just watch your shoes."

She carefully slid next to him, and he put his arm around her as she snuggled into his side. They sat in silence for a while, just looking up at the sky.

"I kind of know what you mean about the night sky."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I never actually thought about it, or tried to put it in words, I guess. Me and Sam... we used to sit on the car some nights, drink a beer and just look up."

"Used to?"

"It's been a while."

"Speaking of Sam, won't it give us away if he or Bobby comes out here and sees us like this?"

Dean hesitated before he answered, "I don't care."

Grace repositioned herself to look at him. "You don't care if they catch us?"

"No, I don't. I was thinking about it. It was one thing to hide it when we were just messin' around. And even when I wasn't sure how I felt or where we were going, but... I love you, sweetheart. Why should I hide it?"

He looked at her as she stared into his eyes. He couldn't read her expression.

"Unless you still want to keep it secret..."

Grace shook her head. "Give me a megaphone... I'll shout it to the world."

"How about his," he said, moving her hair away from her face, "we keep it secret just a little while longer. Just to avoid any distractions. As soon as we handle Elistarr, we tell Sam and Bobby."

"I can live with that."

"And if they do manage to catch us before then..."

"Who cares?" she finished.

His hand cradled her head as he leaned over to kiss her. Her hand went to his face as he ran his hands through her hair. She shifted her weight to lean into his kiss, causing the metal beneath her to creak. She froze, afraid of denting his car.

"Sorry."

Dean was still kissing her neck. "It's okay."

"Maybe we should go back in."

"No way. I was interrupted the last two times we were together. Once by cold water, and once by my brother. Maybe we should just move it into the car."

He kissed her again, breaking away as he slid from the trunk. He tugged on her legs, pulling her toward him, then lifted her from the car. He kissed her as he placed her gently on her feet, then backed her toward the back seat, opening the door for her to get in. Once inside, he rolled the windows down just a bit to let in the cool night air. Grace sat turned sideways to see him. Dean reached into the front seat to grab his jacket. He folded it and placed it on the back seat against the door, then laid Grace down. She wondered if he realized just how sexy it was that he was so gentle... that he took care of her.

"You make me feel so safe," she whispered. "Even when you get that look in your eyes," she laughed.

"What look?"

"The one you have now."

"Oh," he said with a kiss. "That look. Well, that look's only for you now... so I'm glad it makes you feel safe."

Grace sighed, "That's how you seduce a woman. Tell her she's the only one you want... and mean it."

Dean pulled off his t-shirt. "I mean it, sweetheart."

If someone had told her that the most romantic love she would ever make would be in the back of a car, she would have told them they were crazy. She would have been wrong. After hearing Dean's words, his tenderness effected her even more than usual. She could see the love in his eyes now. A definite difference from their first time together when it was more about sex, and less about feeling.

A tear slipped from her eye as he entered her, and it worried him.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No... No." It was all she could say, she was so overcome with emotion.

He wiped the trail that the tear left behind. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, and was finally able to speak. "I just love you so much."

"I love you, too."

As they made love, Grace let go of everything else and focused on the man above her. Where his hands were... where his mouth was... how it felt when they moved together. After they were dressed again, they laid across the back seat.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"I have never felt better than I do right now. I wish I could stay in your arms forever."

"What about the reason you needed air in the first place?"

"That was just... everything. I haven't been doing this as long as you guys. This is big for me. Overwhelming."

"I know it is. But have me with you, and Sam and Bobby backing you up. You're covered."

"I've actually been more worried about something happening to you."

"I've been through worse than this."

"I know."

He smiled at her, "Tell you what... you're my partner. Every step of the way. Wherever I go, you go. You can keep an eye on me."

"Even when you go after Elistarr?"

"Sure."

"I was planning on staying behind for that. I didn't think you would want the distraction."

"I think I'd be more distracted if we left you behind alone."

Grace sighed. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"You'll be fine. Just follow my lead and stay close." He kissed the top of her head. "We should get back inside."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Much appreciated! This chapter is a bit short, but it seemed like a good place to stop. I'll try to make the next one longer.**

Dean and Grace went back in through the kitchen door. Bobby, still at his desk, called out to them.

"Knife and holy water are on the table."

"Got it," Dean said. He walked over to the table, standing where Bobby could see him. He took a swig of holy water, then slid the knife across his forearm. He wiped the blade and put it back in the table. Bobby looked at Grace.

"You too, darlin'"

Grace picked up the knife, placed the blade on her arm, and stopped. Bobby saw her hesitation.

"Need help?"

Dean turned and saw the look on Grace's face. A mixture of fear and sadness.

"I don't think I can do this," she said.

Bobby walked over to her with his hand out. "I'll do it."

Dean stepped between Grace and Bobby. "No, you won't."

"Son, we all agreed to this."

"She can't, Bobby. You wanna bring that pain back for her? I already went through it. I'm fine... so is she. I was with her the whole time."

Bobby shook his head, but Dean wouldn't back down.

"Look, these aren't just shifters coming after hunters, they're demons. Holy water is test enough." He handed the water to Grace. "Drink this." She took it and swallowed a large gulp.

Dean turned back to Bobby. "Happy?"

"I guess it's enough. Just... stay inside now, will ya? Sam's in the shower. I'm goin' to bed. We're gettin' an early start tomorrow."

After Bobby was up the stairs Dean turned to Grace and took the knife from her hand. He could see her eyes were moist.

"You okay?"

She nodded, afraid she would cry if she tried to speak. Dean pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"As long as I have anything to say about it, no knife will ever cut you again. For any reason. You okay to sleep?"

"Yeah."

He kissed her forehead, then watched as she went upstairs.

The next morning they were on the road early. Sam rode with Bobby, Grace with Dean. When they made it back to the town, Bobby and Sam headed to the office building. Dean and Grace made their way to the warehouse. After five hours, they had nothing. They decided to get a room and check into the blueprints. Sam worked at it for over an hour before Dean started getting impatient.

"I think we should call Cas."

"We haven't heard from Cas in months," Sam said.

"He could get in and look around without being seen. We'd know where Elistarr is."

"Who's Cas?" Grace asked.

"He's a... friend," Sam said.

"He's an angel... Castiel."

"Castiel?" Grace asked. "The angel that pulled you from Hell?"

"Yeah."

"I get to meet an actual angel," she whispered, mostly to herself.

"He's not what you might think," Sam said.

Dean closed his eyes, "Cas... we could use your help here, buddy."

"Definitely," Grace added. She jumped when a man in a trench coat appeared behind Dean. Her reaction made Dean turn around.

"What do you need?"

"We think we found the demon you told us about. His name is Elistarr."

"Elistarr is a very powerful demon."

"Yeah, we figured."

Dean and Sam filled Castiel in on what they had learned. Then Dean continued, "We have his location narrowed down to two buildings, but we can't get in either one without some help."

Castiel stared around Dean at Grace. "Isn't that the possessed girl you were following?"

"Well, she's not possessed anymore, Cas. She's been helping us out."

Castiel looked back to Dean with a contemplative face, then he smiled. "Yes, she has."

Bobby finally spoke up, "Are you gonna help us, or what?"

"Yes. Where are the buildings?"

Dean told him, then he was gone. Dean saw the look of shock on Grace's face.

"You get used to him... sort of."

Cas popped back into the room. "Elistarr is at the warehouse."

"Great!" Dean said. "They still have the place heavily guarded?"

"Very heavily. You'll never get in through the door."

"Well, lucky for us we have our own personal teleporter."

Castiel had a confused look on his face.

"You can pop us in there, Cas."

"Oh... of course."

"We still need to do a few things, then we'll drive over. Will you be around when we call again?"

Castiel glanced at Grace again, then said, "Yes. Just call." He was gone again.

Grace stared at the now empty space where Castiel had been.

"That is not how I imagined an angel... but at least we have one in our corner."

They loaded the cars with everything they had. Grace was still in the room, loading her guns with silver bullets when Dean came back in.

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'm gonna be."

"Just remember to stay close. You watch my back... I'll watch yours."

They parked close enough to the warehouse to see everything, but stay out of sight. Dean called for Cas, who arrived immediately. He filled them in on the layout.

"I can put us right into the room with Elistarr," Castiel said.

"That should catch them off guard," Dean said.

"Two guards right outside of that office..."

"Shifter-demons?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Two more guards right down the hall. About half a dozen more beyond that."

"They'll come running after the first gunshot," Dean said. "Can you do your holy smiting thing to a shifter-demon?"

"Yes, but the shifter would most likely remain alive, albeit blind... at least until it shifts. You should also know that killing a demon at Elistarr's level will leave me weakened. I don't know how much help I can be after that."

"If you gank Elistarr we can fight our way out."

Castiel nodded.

"Alright," Bobby said. "We ready?"


	21. Chapter 21

Castiel used his abilities to put them all in the office where he had last seen Elistarr. They were surprised to find the room empty.

"Cas," Dean said, "I thought you said he was in this room?"

"He was... they must have moved him."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Where?"

"Stay here."

Castiel disappeared just as the two shifter-demon guards outside came through the door. They had heard voices.

Grace and Bobby leveled their guns and each took a shot, Grace taking two more, putting the shifters out of commission, but the demons charged ahead. Dean and Sam stepped in and fought the demons. Sam using the demon-killing knife, and Dean using an angel blade... which also worked on demons. They had decided before going in that Grace would only shoot... no knife. She was afraid she might freeze up.

They barely had time to breathe before the two shifter-demon guards from down the hall were there. Sam and Dean moved quickly out of the way for Grace and Bobby to take their shots, then jumped back in to finish off the demons. Castiel was back in the room before the last shifter hit the ground.

"I found him."

They were suddenly standing in an open area of the warehouse where there were cages of shifters along the walls. Three figures stood in the center of the area. Castiel had dropped them in behind the three, but it didn't take long for them to react. They turned, all black eyes. Castiel had dropped himself directly behind Elistarr. No sooner than his eyes went black, they were gone... consumed by an angelic fire as Castiel removed Elistarr for good. The entire warehouse filled with light, and the shadow of Castiel's wings expanded. Then it was over. The shifter he left behind fell to the ground, wounded, but alive. Castiel collapsed next to him.

While Castiel was handling Elistarr, The other four went through their gun and knife routine again to take care of the other two shifter-demons. They could hear running footsteps. More were coming. Dean ran over to Castiel and shot the shifter at his feet.

"You have enough juice to get yourself outta here?"

"Yes."

"Do it. We'll be ok."

Castiel was gone just as three more shifter-demons entered. Grace was running on pure adrenaline. Her aim was improving as she adjusted to the gun, now taking two shots instead of three. She reloaded as two more came rushing in. One of them caught her completely off guard and knocked her to the ground. The skin contact allowed the demon to make the shifter morph into Grace. Grace hesitated only for a second before taking the shot at her own image. Sam came up from behind and finished the demon with the knife.

After the last demon was dead, Grace walked over to the body of the dead shifter that still looked like her. She stared at it, and didn't even realize that Dean walked up behind her.

"You did good."

She turned around, slightly startled, her nerves still on edge.

"You guys were right. You do what you have to do... Still kind of weird though."

They turned when they heard someone clapping behind them. Crowley stood looking on with a grin.

"Nicely done. Really. I told Elistarr this plan was too complicated. People just don't go for simplicity any more."

"Crowley," Dean said. "We should have known you were involved."

"Involved? No. Informed? Yes." He pointed to himself. "King of Hell... remember? But, as I said, I prefer... simpler methods, like..." he snapped his fingers and a low growl filled the room. "...turning you all into Puppy Chow."

They all stared at the floor as claw marks appeared, made by the invisible Hellhound.

"I see you brought your bitch along," Dean said.

"Actually, no. I borrowed this little puppy. Don't you recognize her?" Crowley asked mockingly."

"After all, she did drag you to Hell, Dean."

More claw marks appeared, and they could see the breath from the dog's heavy breathing. Grace stared, eyes wide. She saw the fear on Dean's face as he stared at the claw marks on the floor.

It all happened within seconds. Dean, Sam and Bobby all raised their guns. Crowley gave out a whistle and the hound let out a deep, loud growl. Grace, just two feet away from Dean, threw herself in front of him as the creature lunged.

Dean screamed, "Nooo!"

They started shooting as the Hellhound ripped into Grace's flesh. She tried to cover herself with her arms, which took most of the beating. Her flesh hung like ribbons, bone visible underneath. She screamed uncontrollably. The hound got one last swipe across Grace's abdomen before the gunshots finally had an effect, knocking it to its side, and finally taking its life. Sam ran toward Crowley, but he quickly disappeared.

Dean was at Grace's side, on his knees, trying to control his emotions. He could barely look at her as she coughed up blood.

"My God... what were you thinking?"

She looked in his eyes, unable to speak. She was barely able to take in was he was telling her. Her body was in shock, her eyes full of fear.

Dean leaned over her, "Hang on, sweetheart. Hang on."

He called for Castiel, but Castiel didn't come.

"Damn it, Cas, this is an emergency!"

Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder, "Dean, he's probably not strong enough to come. We have to get her to a hospital."

Dean tossed Sam the keys and carefully lifted Grace from the ground. Her arms fell awkwardly to the side, and Dean almost lost it.

"Sam! Help me. Get her arms."

Sam carefully lifted her arms and helped Dean get a hold on her. Dean saw, with every movement, the pain in her face.

"I'm so sorry, baby. Stay with me."

In the back seat of the Impala, he held her cradled in his arms all the way to the hospital. Sam let Bobby drive while he sat in the front passenger seat. He watched Dean.

"You're gonna be fine."

"Dean..."

"She's gonna be fine, Sam!" Dean tried to keep Grace focused on him by having her look him in the eye. It also kept his focus off of her shredded body. He panicked when her eyes started to drift shut.

"Hey... hey! Look at me. Don't close your eyes. Come on, honey, stay with me." He kissed her forehead through the blood. "Come on..." When her eyes fluttered shut, he touched his forehead to hers, trying to stop the tears from falling. "Don't do this to me... don't do this."

The emergency workers got her on a gurney and rushed her back for emergency surgery. Dean couldn't talk. His hands were shaking, and he was covered in Grace's blood. Sam and Bobby told the staff that it was a bear attack. They were camping, and Grace went off alone. They heard the screams and went running, scaring off the bear.

Sam grabbed Dean shoulders, "Hey, let's get you cleaned up."

Dean looked up and followed him, in a daze.


	22. Chapter 22

Bobby went out to the Impala and pulled an extra set of Dean's clothes from the trunk. Sam stayed with Dean in the bathroom while he changed and washed the blood from his hands and face. Dean leaned over the sink, his head down, knuckles white as he gripped the sides.

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "Adrenaline... Instinct. Or maybe she was just trying to protect you."

"It was stupid."

"Like you've never done something stupid to protect someone you love?"

Dean looked at Sam in the mirror.

"Dean, it doesn't take a genius to see how upset you are... how you were holding her... you love her, don't you?"

Dean nodded. This certainly wasn't how he wanted to share the news.

"I can't lose her, Sammy. I can't."

Sam walked up behind his brother, squeezing his shoulders. "Let's go back to the waiting area. Keep trying Cas."

An hour later they still had no news. Dean went up to the counter.

"Is there any news on my fiancé? Grace... she was... attacked by a bear. She's in surgery."

"I'll see what I can find out, sir."

"Thank you."

Bobby raised an eyebrow at Sam when he heard Dean call Grace his fiancé. Sam just nodded. It wasn't long before a nurse came out.

"Excuse me, sir. You're Grace's fiancé?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What's your name?"

"Dean."

"Is anyone here with you?"

Dean's heart sunk. Why would she ask that? He turned and pointed to Sam and Bobby.

"My brother and uncle."

"Okay, why don't you guys come with me and we'll talk."

She motioned for Sam and Bobby to follow as well. She led them to a more private waiting area, closer to the operating rooms. When they were all seated she started filling them in.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. She's pretty bad off."

Dean nodded, his elbows on his knees, and his hands folded in front of his face. He knew that already.

"She has some internal damage from the gashes on her abdomen. The problem right now is that she's bleeding inside, and the doctors can't find from where." She gave them a moment to take it all in. "Once they get the internal bleeding stopped they can evaluate her other injuries... Do you have any questions?"

Dean shook his head, "No." She couldn't answer the questions he wanted answered. Will she be okay? Why did this happen? What was she thinking?

The nurse stood. "I'll be back to inform you of any changes in her condition."

Dean nodded, and the nurse disappeared behind large double doors. As soon as she was gone, Castiel appeared. Dean immediately stood up.

"Cas, Grace needs you."

"I know. I've already been in with her. I arrived while the nurse was talking. When I heard her situation, I went to her."

"And?" Dean asked.

"I stopped the bleeding, and closed several wounds that the doctors hadn't seen."

"You can't just heal her completely?"

"Not here. Dean, I heard you calling. I came as soon as I was strong enough to heal her, but too many people are involved. I don't have the strength yet to change memories of her injuries with the staff. Honestly, I'm not sure I could change them all. Her injuries are severe and visible."

"She's still in pain, Cas."

"No, she's not. I put her into a restful sleep."

"Cas," Sam said, "Not that I'm not glad you came quick, because she needed you... but... The last couple of years there were times we called and you wouldn't come. You came really quick the last few times Dean called."

Dean looked from Sam to Castiel, somewhat interested in an answer to that himself.

"It's her faith," Cas said. "It compels me to come. If she prays, or someone prays for her... I come."

"Her faith?" Dean asked.

"In God, in angels... it's almost ironic that her name is Grace. She possesses much of it."

"Well," Dean said. "she didn't pray when I first called for your help with Elistarr, and you came right then and there."

"She did, Dean," Castiel said. "She added one word."

"'Definitely,'" Sam said. "She said 'definitely.'"

"That was all it took, added to you calling."

"So, what...," Dean said, "she's special to Heaven?"

"No more than any other believer... The nurse is coming back."

Castiel disappeared just seconds before the nurse came back into the waiting room.

"I have some good news for you." They all turned their attention to her. "The internal bleeding has stopped. They've got her abdomen closed up pretty well, and they are working on her arms now."

Dean sat back down with a sigh.

"There's actually some good news there too," the nurse continued. "We thought we saw bone when she came in, but it turns out that it was fatty tissue."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

"It means that her arms are not as damaged as we thought. It also looked like they were more ripped up than they actually are. Sometimes, when there's that much blood, the extent of the injuries can be misleading. She will need several stitches, and she's still in pretty bad shape, but it's much better than we thought. Her heart rate even stabilized, and her blood pressure, now that the internal bleeding has stopped. I'll be out again if there are any changes, okay?"

Dean nodded, "Thanks."

After the nurse was gone, Bobby said, "looks like Castiel came through."

Two hours later the nurse came out again and walked straight to Dean.

"She's out of surgery," she said with a small smile. "They've moved her to ICU, and will probably keep her there until she wakes up."

Dean leaned back and ran his hands over his face, letting out a breath.

"Would you like to see her?" the nurse asked.

Dean nodded and stood. The nurse looked at Sam and Bobby. "With her being in ICU, there can only be one..."

"Don't worry," Bobby interrupted.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Dean's the one that needs to be with her."

The nurse smiled and Dean followed her behind the large double doors. She prepared Dean for what he would see: lots of bandages, lots of tubes, and lots of beeping machines. He remembered the first time he walked into a hospital room to see Grace. He couldn't stand the sight of what he had done to her then. Now, as he entered her room, the image was worse. Her arms and torso were completely bandaged, with tubes running out. She had a breathing tube. Dean felt the tears stinging his eyes.

The nurse quickly checked the machines, then told Dean, "If her vitals stay good the breathing tube will come out soon." He never took his eyes off of Grace. "I'll leave you two alone," she said, and closed the door behind her.

Dean stared at her for several minutes. He didn't know if she could hear him, but he started talking to her.

"Hey, sweetheart. We're all here waiting for you to wake up. You know, the sooner we get you out of here, the sooner Cas can get you all better."

He half expected her to open her eyes and smile at him, but she didn't.

"You know, I heard you singing a song in the car the other day... and I never paid attention to the lyrics before. Not really." He brushed the back of his fingers across her face. "Not until I heard you singing it." He leaned over as much as he could without moving her to get closer to her ear. He brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear and sang softly.

"Baby, I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time. And maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you."

He leaned back again. "I never would have thought there was a song out there to describe how I feel about you. How scared it makes me to care about someone so much... but I care about you. So much it hurts. That's why you have to wake up. I can't lose you, baby."

Dean spent the night in the chair beside Grace's bed, his head resting next to her arm. Sam and Bobby had gone back to the motel to get some sleep. When Dean woke up, Castiel was standing in the corner.

"Cas? What are you doing here?"

"I'm just... watching over her."

Dean looked down at Grace. "Do you know if she can hear me?"

Castiel walked over to her and placed his hand on her head. "Yes, she can."

Dean got a curious look. "Did you just read her thoughts?"

"Not exactly."

"Can you?"

Castiel tilted his head a bit, "Not exactly."

"Well, what 'exactly?' Can you tell me if she's in pain, if she's scared?"

Castiel placed his hand on her head again. "She's not scared. She... this doesn't make sense."

"What?"

"Something about a beetle... This is just silly. Beetles don't sing."

Dean stared at Grace, and slowly began to smile. She had heard him singing to her. He turned back to Castiel.

"When will she wake up?"

"When she's ready. The sleep I put her under is natural. She will wake up when she would have woken up had I not done that at all. No way for me to say when."

"You talked about her faith before... If she's so faithful, and angels come right away for her, why did she get possessed in the first place?"

"I don't have the answer to that."

"Was it part of Heaven's plan? Was this one of Cupid's matches, like my parents? Was she put through that just to meet me?"

"No. I can promise you, your meeting was purely by chance. But, just an observation, Heaven itself couldn't have found you a more perfect match."

With those words, Castiel was gone. Dean stared at Grace. She really was his perfect match. She gave him what he lacked, and she didn't try to change him. She loved him just as he was. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"Come on, sweetheart. I need you to wake up."


	23. Chapter 23

A nurse came in around noon to check on Grace. Dean stood and moved away from the bed to give her room. She glanced at Dean a few times as she worked. When she was done she looked at him.

"Have you slept or eaten since yesterday?"

"I slept a little."

"No food then?"

"No," he said as he sat back down next to Grace's bed.

"The cafeteria isn't too far from here..."

"I'm not leaving. I want to be here when she wakes up."

"You can make yourself sick, you know."

He gave her a look that said he wasn't moving, and she put her hands up, "Okay... okay." She turned and left the room, but was back a few minutes later with a tray of food.

"If you won't go to the food, the food will come to you."

He started to protest, but she cut him off. "If you won't eat for yourself, eat for her. How will she feel when she wakes up and sees you tired and hungry?"

He glanced at Grace, then back at the nurse, and nodded. She smiled and left the room. He sat back in his chair, ignoring the food tray until the smell got to him. He was suddenly very hungry. He ate a bit, then laid his head on Grace's bed. He was soon asleep.

That evening, Grace's breathing tube was removed. Everything was looking good, and she was breathing fine on her own. The nurse noticed that Grace's lips were getting dry. She told Dean that he could rub ice chips on them to keep them moist. After he and Grace were alone again for a while, he decided to try it.

He took a couple of tiny ice chips between his thumb and finger and let them slide across her bottom lip. He imagined her staring into his eyes as he did it and he smiled, shaking his head.

"Leave it to me to make this pervy, right? Under other circumstances, this would be such a turn-on." He let the ice slide around her lips until it was melted, then he leaned over and lightly kissed her.

It was a little after 11:00 when Dean felt movement as he slept. He lifted his head and saw Grace's fingers twitching. He sat up and saw that her eyelids were fluttering.

"Grace?"

She tried to open her eyes wider, but they quickly closed again. Dean hit the call button for the nurse, who arrived just a moment later.

"I think she's waking up," Dean said. He moved away from the bed so the nurse could check on her.

"Grace..." she said, "can you hear me?"

Grace's mouth moved a few times before she was able to speak, her voice dry and raspy, "Dean..."

Dean walked around to the side of the bed opposite the nurse and ran his fingers through Grace's hair.

"I'm right here, sweetheart."

Grace turned her head slightly into Dean's hand, her eyes still closed.

"Hold me."

Dean was a little caught off guard. He leaned down to whisper, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Hold me," she repeated.

Dean glanced up at the nurse, who was smiling.

"It's okay," she said. She pulled on the sheets beneath Grace, gently pulling her toward her side of the hospital bed. She then walked over to where Dean was standing and lowered the rail. "Just be very gentle. Try to avoid putting any weight on her torso and arms. And hit the call button if you need me... I'll go get her more ice chips."

She left the room as Dean carefully climbed next to Grace. He bent one arm beneath his head and lightly ran his other hand down the side of Grace's face. She turned her head toward him, and he touched his forehead to hers. A tear slipped from his eye as relief washed over him. She was going to be okay.

"It's bad, huh?" she asked.

"Shhh... We can talk about it later."

"Dean, I wanna know."

"It's better. Cas helped, and once we get you out of here he's going to heal you."

He kissed her, then returned his forehead to hers. Grace felt a hand on her arm, and a calm warmth went through her body. She was able to open her eyes just enough to see that no one was there. She was about to say something when she heard Castiel's voice.

"It's just me."

She looked over at Dean who was smiling at her, his eyelids heavy.

"I love you, Dean."

"I love you, too, Grace."

They were both asleep when the nurse came back with the ice. She left it on the bedside table, and closed the door behind her when she left.

The next morning a doctor came in to check on Grace. He had a look of total surprise as he removed her bandages.

"I've never seen anyone recover as fast as you are. You have absolutely no infection. I'll be able to remove these drainage tubes before I leave. No redness or inflammation around your stitches. This is really nothing short of a miracle."

"It would seem I have a guardian angel, Doc," Grace said.

"I wouldn't doubt it," he smiled.

"When can I go home?"

The doctor looked up from the chart, where he was making notes. "I think you should be okay to go home in the next couple of days."

"I'd like to leave today."

Dean looked at her, "Grace..."

"I would advise against that. We haven't even moved you out of ICU yet."

"But you're going to, right?"

"Yes, but I'd like to keep you here for observation, just to make sure everything is as good as it seems to be."

Dean walked up to the doctor. "Do you mind if I talk to her alone for a minute?"

"Sure," the doctor said, and left the room.

"Don't you think it's a little soon to be trying to leave?"

"Isn't Cas waiting to heal me?"

"Yeah..."

"Then why should I wait?"

A look of concern crossed Dean's face, and he gently held her hand, now out of the thick bandages it had been wrapped in before.

"Are you in pain?"

"No... I mean, I guess a little, but I'm sure they have me on some kind of pain killers. And I'm pretty sure Cas did something last night."

Dean looked surprised. "He was here?"

"I think so. I didn't see him, but I had a really warm feeling and I heard his voice. I think he's slowly healing me already."

"Well, that's good. Then it won't hurt to stay one more night, just for appearances."

"Dean, I can barely move my arms with all the stitches. I want to hold you, and I can't."

"Trust me, sweetheart, I know. One more night. Come on... I'll be here the whole time."

Grace eventually gave in and spent another night in the hospital. By the next day her condition had improved even more. Her doctor was stunned. He still put up a fight when she said she wanted to check herself out, but he couldn't hold her. He made her promise to see her general physician as soon as she could. She promised, knowing she wouldn't need to see a doctor once Castiel healed her.

Sam picked them up at the hospital. Dean lifted Grace out of her wheelchair and into the back seat, then climbed in with her. Once he closed the door he rested against it with one leg stretched out on the seat, and he held Grace against him, letting her stretch out as well.

He whispered in her ear, "I've got some good news."

"Oh yeah?"

"I can move into your room now, and no one will think it's strange."

"They know?"

"Yeah... Kinda hard to hide it with what happened."

"That's good. I was tired of pretending... and tonight I just want to be in your arms."

"That's exactly what I want."

It didn't take long for them to reach the motel, and Dean called for Castiel.

"Hey, Cas...," Dean said, "can you remove all her scars?" Grace watched Dean as he spoke. "Not just the stuff from the hellhound... but from other things too?"

"Yes, I can."

"Good. Do that."

Grace knew he wanted to get rid of the scars he put on her body. She looked at Castiel as he reached to put his hand on her head. In just seconds, she was healed. She pulled the bandages from her arms and ran to Dean, holding him tight. She didn't want to let go. Dean looked at Castiel as he hugged Grace.

"Thanks, man."

Grace pulled back, then turned and hugged Castiel. "Thank you." When she pulled away he said, "You're welcome," and then was gone.


	24. Chapter 24

That night, Dean got a separate room for him and Grace. They had eaten and showered, and now they sat talking. Dean at the table in front of the window, and Grace cross-legged on the bed.

"You know we have to talk about what you did, right?" Dean said.

"What I did?"

"Jumping in front of that hellhound... What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I couldn't watch you get torn to pieces."

"So, I had to watch it happen to you."

"Didn't have enough time to think that far ahead."

"Obviously."

"Dean, I saw the look on your face when Crowley told you which dog that was. I couldn't let it attack you again."

"It was a stupid move!"

"And I'd do it again! Are you telling me if the roles had been reversed you wouldn't have jumped in front of me?"

He lowered his voice. "I'd die for you."

"Then you know why I did it. I'm sorry you had to see it... I'm sorry I had to experience it..." A tear slid down her cheek and Dean walked over and sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms. "But I'd do it again, Dean. I would rather feel pain than watch you feel pain. That's just the way it is."

"I feel the same way about you. I don't ever want to watch you suffer like that again."

"I don't think that's very realistic considering what we do."

"I know. I wish I could protect you from everything bad."

"I know you do."

She kissed him, and he pulled away with a sigh.

"I'm exhausted."

"Maybe Cas should have done something for you too... sort of freshen you up a bit," she smiled.

"I didn't care about me... I just wanted you okay."

"Well," Grace said, crawling under the covers, "you can get a good night's sleep, wrapped up in my arms."

She laid back, slightly on her side and moved the covers back for Dean. He moved in close, letting her arms move around him, burying his face in her neck. He breathed her in as he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tighter.

"I thought I'd never get to do this again," he whispered.

She wiped tears from her eyes, "I thought the same thing."

The next morning they packed the cars, ready to head back to Bobby's and take a few days off. Grace noticed Sam getting into Bobby's car and went over to talk to him.

"Sam, I hope you don't feel like you have to leave me and your brother alone all the time now that you know about us. I'll gladly get in the back, or ride with Bobby if you want to ride with Dean."

Sam smiled at her, "Thanks, but I think you two need some time alone right now. You didn't see Dean when they took you into surgery. He was a wreck." Sam smiled again, "You know, I kinda suspected you two were foolin' around, but I didn't think it was serious." She blushed a little and he asked her, "You love him?"

"Enough to take on a hellhound."

Sam nodded, "Good. Because he loves you."

"I know," she smiled. "He's told me."

Sam's face showed surprise. "You know how hard that is for him... to open up to someone."

"I know... Are you giving me the 'don't hurt my brother' speech?"

Sam let out a chuckle and ran his hand through his hair, "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that."

Sam nodded. Grace was turning to walk to the Impala when Sam started talking again.

"Do you remember anything from before you passed out?"

"A little. I remember Dean's face... trying to stay calm. I know he was talking to me, but I couldn't really focus on what he was saying."

"Dean needs to know you're okay now."

"He knows I am."

"No... he needs to really know it. He's going to dwell on it for a while. It's what he does."

She nodded and her head turned at the sound of Dean's voice.

"Ready to roll?" he asked. Bobby was behind him.

"We're ready," Grace said. "Let's go."

Dean and Bobby drove until they couldn't last anymore, then they stopped to find a motel. Grace offered to drive while Dean slept, but he wouldn't let her. She tried to tell him they would get home faster, but he wasn't hearing it.

Dean got them a separate room again. The car ride so far had been pretty quiet. Grace tried to talk to him about what happened after the attack, but she soon realized it was bringing both of their emotions to the surface, and it probably wasn't a good idea while Dean was driving. By the time they got to the motel they were both ready for sleep.

The next morning Grace tried to make lighter conversation. She talked about them having a few days of together. Dean took that opportunity to make a point.

"Me and Sam will have a few days off. You should take longer... maybe permanently."

"What?"

"I don't like you putting yourself in danger."

"The way you do?"

"I can't look after you while I'm trying to work."

"I know that."

"So I don't think you should actually come out on hunts anymore."

Grace started to argue, but decided to drop it. She knew where he was coming from. He wasn't trying to be controlling or macho. He was genuinely concerned for her safety.

"Okay."

Dean looked a little confused. "Okay?"

"Yeah."

"You're not going to tell me I'm being an overprotective sexist pig?"

"You wanting to keep me safe is neither sexist nor piggish. And considering how bad that was, which we will talk about eventually, I don't think you're being overprotective. Do I disagree with you? Yes... a little, but if it gives you peace of mind to know I'm safe so you can stay safe on a job... I'm willing to stay behind. At least until you're comfortable with me hunting again."

"That's it?" Dean asked, unbelieving.

"That's it."

"No arguments?"

"Nope."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You're gonna sneak off and do stupid crap when I'm on a job, is that it?"

Grace glared at him. "Are you actually trying to pick a fight with me because I didn't pick a fight?"

"I've just never had a woman be so obedient before?"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Now that was sexist."

"No, I didn't mean it that way. It's just... most women I meet are so hell bent on proving they don't need anyone or anything that they argue with everything I say. Especially when I'm trying to keep them safe."

"I guess those women weren't in love with you and willing to do anything to make you happy."

Dean smiled at her and stretched his arm out across the back of the seat.

"Come here."

She slid next to him, kissing his cheek as he lowered his arm around her shoulders.

"Anything, huh?" he asked with a smirk. But Grace's face was serious.

"Pretty much. You mean more to me than anything, and there's not much I'll say no to if you ask. So, be careful what you ask."

Once they were back at Bobby's Grace went straight to the kitchen for food. All she could find was a bag of chips.

"Someone needs to make a store run."

"If my lady is hungry, I'll go," Dean smiled as he pulled her into his arms.

Sam snaked the keys out of Dean's pocket. "I'll go."

"Dude, I said I'd go."

Sam smiled at him, "You stay here with your lady. I'll go."

Bobby said, "Wait up. Got a few things I need too. I'll go with ya."

As they left, Sam caught Grace's eye and winked. Dean saw, and his face became stern.

"Did my brother just wink at you."

"Yes, he did."

"Do you wanna explain that?"

"We had a little talk before we left the motel."

"A talk?"

"Yeah... total chick flick moment."

"Oh God... What did he say?"

She tightened her grip around his waist and made a face.

"Oh, the usual. Just that I'm too good for you, and I could do a whole lot better," she said sarcastically.

"You may be joking, but it's true."

Her smile faded, "No it's not."

"Yeah it is. I still don't know what you see in me." He tried to walk away, but she tightened her grip even more.

"What I see is a man who took care of a stranger when she had no one else to turn to. What I see is a man who is caring, loving, passionate, and loyal... and if you ever need to be reminded of that, just tell me."

She kissed his lips very gently, but he soon deepened it. One of his hands went into her hair while the other was on her lower back, pulling her closer. Her hands moved from his waist, up his chest to touch his face.

"You're also kinda sexy," she whispered against his lips. He smiled and started leaving a trail of kisses down her neck. "And you're amazing in bed," she sighed. He was moving her toward the stairs when he suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just remembered something. You go up and I'll be there in a minute."

She looked at him with curiosity all over her face. "Okay. Don't be long," she said as she climbed the stairs.

"I won't."

Grace didn't have to wait long at all. Dean came back with a cup.

"Did you go get beer?"

"What? No..." He grinned at her. "It's something I thought we should try." He sat the cup down on the night stand and she peered in.

"Is that ice?"

"You'll see."

He started kissing her again, and she forgot about the ice. He laid her down on top of the bed, kissing her slowly and passionately. She curled her leg around his and his hand moved up and down her thigh, squeezing gently through her jeans. He pulled her shirt over her head, and she began lifting his, so he stopped to pull his off. He reached over to the cup and pulled out an ice cube.

"What do you plan to do with that?"

He grinned down at her and lightly rubbed the ice along her bottom lip. Once it was moist, he gently sucked her lip into his mouth and kissed her. She let out a gasp and her fingers moved through his hair. He pulled away and ran the ice along her lips again, followed by his lips on hers.

When he pulled back again, he let the ice slide down her neck. She shivered against the cold, but he quickly replaced the ice with his warm mouth. He slid the ice straight down under her chin, down her throat. The ice was starting to melt in his fingers and it left a wet trail. He licked his way back up to her chin, and she couldn't stop the moan it elicited.

He put the ice back in the cup and smiled. "I knew that would be hot." He made his way down her body, pulling off her jeans. As he kissed his way back up he noticed the scar above her knee, and rubbed it with his thumb.

"I thought Cas got rid of all of these?"

"He left that one."

"Why?"

"Because I asked him to."

"You didn't..."

"I didn't have to say it. I guess it was like a silent prayer. I wanted him to leave that one."

"Why would you want that scar?"

"Because I have a good memory attached to it..."

"Good memory?"

"Yes."

"What good memory could that scar possibly bring you?"

"Our first night together."

Dean's face softened, but he still looked confused so she continued. "When you were kissing my leg that night, I was questioning the whole thing, trying to decide if I should stop it. And then you stopped, and I saw you staring at my scar. The look of concern and guilt on your face... it made me realize how much you care. After that, I didn't care if it was wrong. I wanted to make love to you... and then you kissed it. When I look at that scar, I see your face. I feel your lips on me. That's a good memory."

Dean leaned down and kissed the scar again. He let his lips linger there as his hands began to remove her panties.

They made love with a renewed passion. Happy to be in each other's arms after coming so close to losing each other.

**A/N: I almost hate to see this story come to an end, but this is the final chapter. I have a pretty basic idea for a possible Grace sequel. If you would be interested in reading it please review this story and let me know. Also be sure to follow me so you'll know if I do decide to do it. I'd also like to thank everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed. I wish I could have replied to the anons individually, but I can't. So this is your thank you. :)**


End file.
